“Warring” Ideals: Black Citizenship and the Struggle for Inclusion in the USA

This paper critiques black citizenship in America. Using the “warring ideals” of W.E.B DuBois, it posits that African American citizenship is a complex interplay between the universality of citizenship, i.e., the ideals of the western liberal tradition, and the lived realities of citizenship. Highlighting the paradox of race, the article underscores that black citizenship has never been a guarantee in American society. “Warring ideals” encompass a struggle between aspirational ideals of what American citizenship is supposed to be and what it actually is—especially for those who are marginalized. Lived realities of citizenship often mean coming to terms with daily encounters with racism and structural discrimination which affirm and reaffirm citizenship boundaries. The manuscript also evaluates how watershed movements such as the civil rights, black power, and Black Lives Matter movements have attempted to reconcile the ideals and the realities of American citizenship.