Introduction Chapter One Various Forms of the Self-Hatred of African Americans Represented in Morrison's Fiction 1.1 Negation of Black Physical Identity 1.2 Abandonment of Black Cultural Identity 1.2.1 Lack of Respect for the Elders——the Ancestral Figures in the Black Community 1.2.2 Suppression of Emotional Vitality 1.2.3 Undermining of Racial Solidarity 1.2.3.1 Class Conflict among Blacks 1.2.3.2 Gender Conflict among Blacks 1.2.3.3 Tension Between the Racial Self and the Racial Community Chapter Two Tracing the Causes of the Self-Hatred of African Americans in Morrison's Fiction 2.1 Self-Hatred and the Use of Force 2.2 Self-Hatred and Economic Oppression 2.3 Self-Hatred and Ideological Control Chapter Three From Self-Hatred to Self-Love:the Affirmation of African American Cultural Identity in Morrison's Fiction 3.1 Respect for Ancestors 3.2 Affirmation of Spontaneous Emotions 3.3 Collective Survival 3.3.1 Solidarity between Different Classes of Blacks 3.3.2 Learning from Black Women 3.3.3 Harmony between the Racial Self and the Racial Community 3.4 Assertion of Racial Beauty Conclusion Bibliography