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The word identity is in part defined as a collective set of characteristics by which an individual, or group, is definitively recognisable. It underpins values and moral codes, attaching itself to behaviours and personality traits found in each of us. It is intrinsically linked to the development of community, the building of culture and the active empowerment of the black race through their journey to reclaim it. The book attempts to provide an insight into the varied and complex identities of the 21st century black female, by investigating her origins and exploring her predecessors, whose contribution has been undervalued, and relatively unacknowledged throughout history. It analyses the black woman´s journey by studying the media and the social bodies that claim to represent her. The book explores the multifaceted relationships between black men and black women, looking at how internal pressures have changed the dynamics of such relationships in modern society. It introduces the issues facing black women today, the methods used to confront the oppression they faced whilst trying to integrate into a society that did not, and still does not, fully accept them.

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BA(Hons): Studied Photography Media Arts at University College of Arts. Phtographer

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