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Question: Malcolm X's evolution of thought!?
I need some good sources, websites, books, Jstor, anything, on the evolution of Malcolm X's thought!. I don't want sources just telling about his life!. I read the wikipedia entry!. also feel free to tell me anything you know about his thought evolution as well, though sources are the primary concern!. Another also, if it's a source that's not totally about his thought, but still interesting (and not just about his life), that's cool too, so long as you make a note of that (especially on Nation of Islam/ Elijah Muhammad)!.
I already have his autobiography and a book called "Making Malcolm" by michael dyson!.
dankeWww@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
The autobiography is the main source!. He began with an inferiority complex, brought largely by being one of the few blacks in his area and from having a mother with a severe mental illness!. By his teens that developed into something like nihilism- he was self-centered and saw everything else as something to use for his benefit- women, whites, blacks, didn't matter- "I sold black women to white men and white women to black men" and "I sold narcotics and did narcotics", etc!.!. In prison he converted to the Nation of Islam (which is to mainstream Islam something like the Aryan Nations are to mainstream Christianity) and for the first time felt acceptance and benevolence and divine grace and as such felt that the sect and its leaders could do no wrong!. Eventually he could no longer rationalize the church's corruption or his own observations that were completely contrary to the teachings of the Quran (which, say what you will about it, preaches the equality of the races and also that Muhammad was the last of the prophets of Allah, while Elijah Muhammad claimed he was a prophet of Allah and that the white race was literally demonic) and at this time he embraced the critical thinking skills that had been with him all along!. He was very muchin transition when he died- had he survived the assassination it's possible he would have been one of the most conciliatory or one of the most radical on terms of race relations within a couple of years!.
When Spike Lee produced the movie MALCOLM X he divided Malcolm's life into several chapters, each of which represent a different period of thought, and used very different lighting in each one!.
Throughout his life Malcolm was a man of very keen observations and analytical skills, though he sometimes put them both on hold!. He also stressed the value of education more than almost any other black authority figure of his times and had little patience for those who willfully remained in ignorance!. He read voraciously in prison and as much as he could afterwards (though his ministry and family responsibilities of course reduced his time)!. From the autobiography you'll see he was an amateur linguist and semioticist- he was extremely concerned with the origins and usage of words; I've little doubt he'd have become a Ph!.D!. and college faculty member had he lived!.
One of his most biting comments on black America was the lack of emphasis on education:
"How many dictionaries and reference books do you suppose we would collect if we went through a black housing project in New York!? Enough to fill a car trunk or van!? Or maybe a suitcase!? We can't blame the white man for the dictionaries black children don't have!."
Another powerful comment in the same speech that says much of his views during his last transition (from loyal NoI to independent Sunni Muslim):
"Poverty!.!.!.provides no excuse for ignorance any more than history does!. Ignorance breeds poverty, it's not the other way around!."Www@QuestionHome@Com
Did you understand anything you read!? The two most important events for his evolution of thought were his jail house conversion to Islam and his Haj to Mecca!. His conversion to Islam enabled him to recognize his own humanity and self-worth; and his pilgrimage to Mecca enabled him to recognize everyone else's humanity and self-worth!.
Don't get hung up on trying to find any deep, mystical answers!. Evaluate what happened to him and how he changed in response to the brutal and enlightening events that shaped his life!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
This site continues Malcom X's philosophies so I think it might be of interest to you!. The Black Panthers were very big in Oakland, CA!. Cleaver wrote a book also, "Soul on Ice"!.
http://www!.marxists!.org/history/usa/work!.!.!.
Others you might want to tap into are Eldredge Cleaver, Stokley Carmichael and Angela Davis!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
!.!.!.the whole thing is this-keep ur analysis simple-and answer correctly with anything he did-or something that had happened to him-that shows how the experience affected his life-that changed him/his thinking-which made him evolve into who and what he became!.!.!.get it!?Www@QuestionHome@Com