Dr. Shirke conceptualizes racism and prejudice as the consequence of intergenerational transference of experiences and attitudes about the identities of self and of others. Two analytic theories of mind can be applied to grasp this intellectually, prior to integrating emotionally this sensibility.

From an object-relations point of view, our experiences of ourselves in relation to others are initially within our family of origin, and eventually are of ourselves (usually within the family unit) relating to the outside world. The speech and behavior of those around us regarding concrete aspects of identity, such as skin tone, class or perceived ethnicity (religion, race, culture, nation of origin), are internalized most often via non-verbal experiences, but also at times by explicit verbal instruction. These early experiences are transferred on top of current experiences. And analytically, we can understand that the template of our formative experiences were themselves transferred from what was experienced by people in previous generations.

From a self-psychological point of view, our subjective self-estimation is transferred from what was ‘mirrored’ to us by those around us, starting with parents and growing to include others in our community. This mirroring includes what we think is esteemed subjectively as good or bad by those others. Analytically, what is mirrored as valuable by those others is also transferred from what was mirrored as good or bad to them in previous generations.

A particular set of objective and subjective experiences of African-Americans is distinguishable from that of other people who have been targets of prejudice, such as voluntary immigrants. The fact of slavery, the relatively recent history of the ownership of a group of people as a form of capital in early industrial farming, has left an impression that can be better understood both from the object-relations point of view and also a self-psychological perspective.

1. Students should be able to describe a connection between a particular person’s early experiences of identity and how that has become internalized into the way they relate to others.

2. Students should be able to describe a connection between a particular person’s subjective sense of themselves and how that self-estimation is the result of what they sensed was subjectively valued by those in their developmental years.

3. Students should be able to discuss what, if anything, is analytically distinct about the African-American experience.