UDC

94(73).092

Authors

Dmitriy N. Khristenko
Yaroslavl State Medical University; ul. Chkalova 6, Yaroslavl, 150054, Russian Federation;
e-mail: khristenko1983@mail.ru

Abstract

Malcolm X is virtually unknown in Russia. However, without mentioning him it is impossible to understand the ethno-social processes that were taking place in the United States in the second half of the 20th century. Despite the fact that he was a prominent leader of the civil rights movement for African Americans, most Russian researchers describe him as a representative of Black Muslims of America or depict only the major milestones of his biography. This article analyses Malcolm X’s ideology and reveals its main theoretical concepts that determined the discourse on interethnic relations in the United States for decades to come. These include the difference between segregation and separation, the “field Negro” and the “house Negro”, as well as the concept of Black Nationalism and the introduction of the term “Afro-American” to the general public, etc. This article is based on a chronological method in which Malcolm X’s ideological evolution correlates with key events in American history. The paper emphasizes the fundamental difference between Malcolm’s ideas and M.L. King’s philosophy of nonviolence; this difference arises from the heterogeneity of African Americans’ position in the industrial North and the agricultural South. Much attention is paid to the latter period of Malcolm X’s life, when he became increasingly interested in Marxist philosophy. He knew that the roots of discrimination against black Americans were not purely racial but socio-economic. Malcolm X concluded that the struggle of the black population for their civil rights was directly related to the liberation of African countries from the colonial yoke. It is worth notice that Malcolm X’s historical heritage is controversial. He is often accused of radicalism, but for African Americans he is an explicit embodiment of black courage, a political figure who has made a significant contribution to the formation of black Americans’ self-identity.

Keywords

USA, Malcolm X, segregation, Nation of Islam, Black Nationalism, American civil rights movement, Marxism

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