First Advisor

Vandy Kanyako

Term of Graduation

Summer 2026

Date of Publication

7-29-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.) in Conflict Resolution

Department

Conflict Resolution

Language

English

Subjects

Black Diaspora, Identity, Identity Formation, Peace studies, Recognition, Social Media

Physical Description

1 online resource (xii, 56 pages)

Abstract

This study examines how identity formation, intra-diaspora tensions, and social media interactions contribute to fragmentation within the Black diaspora. While existing scholarship, including work by Godfried Asante and Elizabeth Chacoko has emphasized the fluid and socially constructed nature of Black identity, less attention has been given to how these processes operate in practice across diverse diasporic groups and how they are intensified in digital environments. This research addresses this gap by analyzing how individuals negotiate Black identity, how tensions emerge within the diaspora, and how social media shapes and amplifies these dynamics.

Drawing on Social Identity Theory developed by Henri Tajfel, Realistic Conflict Theory developed by Muzafer Sherif, and Human Needs Theory developed by John Burton, the study develops a multi-layered framework for understanding fragmentation. Social Identity Theory explains how individuals construct identity through shifting in-group and out-group categorizations based on nationality, ethnicity, migration history, and social context. Realistic Conflict Theory helps explain how intra-diaspora tensions emerge through perceived competition over symbolic resources such as recognition, authenticity, cultural legitimacy, and representation. Human Needs Theory further contextualizes these dynamics by highlighting the role of unmet psychological needs for belonging, recognition, and validation in shaping identity negotiation and intergroup perception.

The findings indicate that Black identity within the diaspora is not singular or fixed but is instead context-dependent and continuously negotiated. First-generation immigrants often prioritize national or ethnic identities, while experiencing a process of racialization in which they come to understand themselves as "Black" within the United States context. Second-generation individuals frequently navigate hybrid identities that shift depending on social setting. These differing constructions of identity contribute to misunderstandings and tensions within the diaspora, particularly when groups operate with different assumptions about authenticity and belonging.

Intra-diaspora tensions are further structured by perceived hierarchies of experience and recognition. Individuals frequently engaged in comparisons of historical and contemporary experiences of racism, leading to implicit and explicit judgments about whose experiences are most representative within broader Black identity discourse. These dynamics are intensified by limited visibility and representation in social, cultural, and institutional spaces.

Social media functions as an accelerative environment that amplifies these processes by increasing exposure to diverse expressions of Black identity and enabling constant comparison across diasporic groups. Algorithmic systems further intensify these dynamics by prioritizing emotionally charged and conflict-oriented content, while identity expression becomes increasingly performative in online spaces. As a result, social media does not create fragmentation but significantly amplifies and accelerates existing dynamics of comparison and recognition.

Overall, this study argues that fragmentation within the Black diaspora emerges through the interaction of identity categorization, perceived competition over recognition, and unmet psychological needs for belonging and validation. Social media functions as an amplifying structure that increases visibility, accelerates comparison, and intensifies intra-diaspora tensions, shaping how Black identity is constructed and contested in contemporary society.

Rights

© 2026 Imhile Omosede Dora Akpata

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/45113

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