Racism In Black Athena

It is quite rare to be enrolled in a history class that does not, even briefly, expose students to the essence of Greek society; we are often taught to appreciate the influence that the Greeks had on the development of the western world. Martin Bernal, in his work Black Athena, sheds new light on this matter, offering evidence that suggests our beliefs about the origin of Greek culture are misconstrued. Bernal successfully argues that, contrary to the widely believed and racism-laced Aryan Model, the Egyptians and Phoenicians played a significant role in the development of Greek society; this argument is strengthened by the author’s incorporation of evidence derived from his interpretations of primary sources, his use of chronology, as well as his discussion about the role of racism in the replacement of the model. Black Athena is partly comprised of information from primary sources which Bernal has interpreted and integrated to create a coherent story-like prose; the strength of his argument lies in the ways he utilizes these sources. By acknowledging the primary accounts of prominent Greek figures such as Homer and Herodotus, he immediately creates relevancy, as these people lived in the society that is being debated and will be deemed by the audience as more reliable witnesses than individuals who they may know little about. For example, the author notes Homer’s claim that the founders of the Greek city of Thebes, Amphion and Zethos, had tombs that mirrored those in Egypt, suggesting that the foundation of Thebes rests on Egyptian influence (Bernal, 19). Also, Bernal uses primary archeological evidence, such as the finding of Egyptian objects in various parts of the Aegean, to form hypothetical situations as to what he believes is a reasonable conclusion to draw in regards to the objects’ discovery. To a reader, the mention of artifacts found in a certain place may be insignificant; when Bernal introduces a potential storyline detailing how and why these artifacts exist where they do, the audience can latch onto his argument with more confidence. Much like he ensures that the reader can link an artifact to a theoretical storyline, Bernal organizes the text chronologically, which allows the reader to follow his train of thought as he uses his evidence to arrive at conclusions – and thus his argument – which appears more plausible when one can see the timeline of events that helped to derive it. The fact that he is able to take his evidence and relay a fluent interpretation of the way this facet of history played out strengthens his claim because it implies that the events are able to be pieced together in a specific order. This offers a great possibility that they are dependent upon each other, making his timeline a reasonable theory. With a topic that is so extensive and has a plethora of details, it would be challenging for the reader to grasp his most important points if his work was not organized in a clear, concise way. In effort to explain why the Ancient Model was displaced by the Aryan Model, Bernal brings up the subject of race. After thoroughly explaining his reasons for believing that the Greeks owe the Egyptians and Phoenicians for the foundation of their culture, his argument would not be nearly as effective without offering a suggestion as to why this idea has often been disputed throughout history. Two centuries ago, the Ancient Model was confronted by European Christians for fear of …show more content…
If this was the dominant understanding of the Euro-American past – that colored people laid out the foundation for European society – there may not be such a rift between races because it would be understood that colored people provided the base for what is our society today, and then whites and blacks alike helped it to thrive. At the University of Michigan, one may see more colored people enrolled in school, as financial troubles and poor educational opportunities may not pose the same issues for a substantial percentage of this group that they do today. It would be a societal norm that people of all races are treated with respect, and the material students learn about in class may reflect a very different relationship between races throughout the course of