Erica O. Turner
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226675220
- eISBN:
- 9780226675534
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226675534.003.0001
- Subject:
- Education, Educational Policy and Politics
This chapter provides an overview of the book, its arguments and themes, its subjects and methods, and its broader contributions to understanding education policy and the perpetuation of racial ...
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This chapter provides an overview of the book, its arguments and themes, its subjects and methods, and its broader contributions to understanding education policy and the perpetuation of racial inequity in school districts. Through school district officials’ own words, this chapter begins with a rare glimpse into in two school districts that are becoming more racially diverse and more unequal and school district administrators’ and school board members’ everyday struggles, particularly the contradictions they feel between pursuing equity and maintaining support of local elites and majorities. This chapter highlights the contributions of the book to the study of school districts and inequality, including illuminating the racial sensemaking and discourses shaping district education policy, situating district policy making and inequality in contemporary macro- demographic, economic, and political contexts, and offering a broader framework for understanding race and class inequity in school districts. Using theory on racial projects, the chapter outlines three contested racial projects of educational leadership and governance, including the color-blind managerialism that is the focus on this book. In addition, the chapter presents the two study districts; describes the motivations, methods, and challenges of this research, particularly as they relate to race; and previews subsequent book chapters.Less
This chapter provides an overview of the book, its arguments and themes, its subjects and methods, and its broader contributions to understanding education policy and the perpetuation of racial inequity in school districts. Through school district officials’ own words, this chapter begins with a rare glimpse into in two school districts that are becoming more racially diverse and more unequal and school district administrators’ and school board members’ everyday struggles, particularly the contradictions they feel between pursuing equity and maintaining support of local elites and majorities. This chapter highlights the contributions of the book to the study of school districts and inequality, including illuminating the racial sensemaking and discourses shaping district education policy, situating district policy making and inequality in contemporary macro- demographic, economic, and political contexts, and offering a broader framework for understanding race and class inequity in school districts. Using theory on racial projects, the chapter outlines three contested racial projects of educational leadership and governance, including the color-blind managerialism that is the focus on this book. In addition, the chapter presents the two study districts; describes the motivations, methods, and challenges of this research, particularly as they relate to race; and previews subsequent book chapters.
Joseph Cheah
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199756285
- eISBN:
- 9780199918874
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199756285.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter traces the legacy of white supremacy in American Buddhism to “racial projects” conceived and implemented by Western Orientalists in the middle and late Victorian era. Eugene Burnouf, ...
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This chapter traces the legacy of white supremacy in American Buddhism to “racial projects” conceived and implemented by Western Orientalists in the middle and late Victorian era. Eugene Burnouf, Brian Houghton, and other first-generation Western Orientalists articulated the project of modernity of the Enlightenment era, where knowledge about Asian textual Buddhism was retrieved, translated, and rerepresented for Westerners. These Orientalists provided a prescriptive account of Buddhism which maintained that “authentic Buddhism” was located in the canonical texts rather than in the rituals and practices of Asian Buddhism. T.W. Rhys Davids and other second-generation Western scholars continued this tradition of privileging texts over rituals and practice. These Western Orientalists assumed that Asian Buddhists were trapped in their own cultural accretions, and that “true Buddhism” located in the sutras, could only be rescued with the aid of Western superior scholarship. Such attitudes and discursive practices of Western Orientalists are but reflections of Orientalist racial projects of that era.Less
This chapter traces the legacy of white supremacy in American Buddhism to “racial projects” conceived and implemented by Western Orientalists in the middle and late Victorian era. Eugene Burnouf, Brian Houghton, and other first-generation Western Orientalists articulated the project of modernity of the Enlightenment era, where knowledge about Asian textual Buddhism was retrieved, translated, and rerepresented for Westerners. These Orientalists provided a prescriptive account of Buddhism which maintained that “authentic Buddhism” was located in the canonical texts rather than in the rituals and practices of Asian Buddhism. T.W. Rhys Davids and other second-generation Western scholars continued this tradition of privileging texts over rituals and practice. These Western Orientalists assumed that Asian Buddhists were trapped in their own cultural accretions, and that “true Buddhism” located in the sutras, could only be rescued with the aid of Western superior scholarship. Such attitudes and discursive practices of Western Orientalists are but reflections of Orientalist racial projects of that era.
Robert J. Priest and Alvaro L. Nieves (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195310566
- eISBN:
- 9780199851072
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195310566.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This book contains chapters written by a team of interracial and interethnic scholars representing diverse disciplines on the historical linkage of race, ethnicity, and Christianity. The chapters ...
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This book contains chapters written by a team of interracial and interethnic scholars representing diverse disciplines on the historical linkage of race, ethnicity, and Christianity. The chapters explore the ways in which constructive change can be achieved. The volume is the product of a long-term study funded by the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology. In the course of this study it emerged that many Christian institutions now offer courses on race and ethnicity, but that there is very little relevant literature written from the standpoint of rigorous Christian scholarship. The chapters address such questions as: What has been the history of Christian churches and leaders in relation to slavery, segregation, and apartheid? Which biblical texts and doctrines have historically been employed on behalf of racial projects, and which are relevant to the racial and ethnic crises of our day? How have religious leaders constructively engaged such crises? How do congregations shape the values, civic commitments, understandings and sensitivities of their membership? How can local congregations be sites for racial reconciliation and justice initiatives? Are there positive models for how churches and other religious institutions have helped to bring healing to racial and ethnic tensions and divides? How might Christians in the professions work to bring justice to business, education, government, and other areas of society? When good intentions fail to accomplish desired ends, how do we analyze what went wrong?Less
This book contains chapters written by a team of interracial and interethnic scholars representing diverse disciplines on the historical linkage of race, ethnicity, and Christianity. The chapters explore the ways in which constructive change can be achieved. The volume is the product of a long-term study funded by the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology. In the course of this study it emerged that many Christian institutions now offer courses on race and ethnicity, but that there is very little relevant literature written from the standpoint of rigorous Christian scholarship. The chapters address such questions as: What has been the history of Christian churches and leaders in relation to slavery, segregation, and apartheid? Which biblical texts and doctrines have historically been employed on behalf of racial projects, and which are relevant to the racial and ethnic crises of our day? How have religious leaders constructively engaged such crises? How do congregations shape the values, civic commitments, understandings and sensitivities of their membership? How can local congregations be sites for racial reconciliation and justice initiatives? Are there positive models for how churches and other religious institutions have helped to bring healing to racial and ethnic tensions and divides? How might Christians in the professions work to bring justice to business, education, government, and other areas of society? When good intentions fail to accomplish desired ends, how do we analyze what went wrong?
Sally Haslanger
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199892631
- eISBN:
- 9780199980055
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199892631.003.0008
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, Feminist Philosophy
If, as was argued in Chapter 7, we should aim for a day when there are no more men and women and are no more races (though there may be genders and ethnicities), then what will this future look like? ...
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If, as was argued in Chapter 7, we should aim for a day when there are no more men and women and are no more races (though there may be genders and ethnicities), then what will this future look like? Will it be one on which we are all alike, androgynous and a light shade of brown? The chapter argues that the interpretation of sexual difference is important to achieve justice in any society in which humans reproduce biologically, and that although we should not organize ourselves as men and women, we should have some gender structure. The interpretation of geographic origin as marked on our bodies is not necessary to achieve justice, so we should not seek successors to race. However, this is compatible with taking cultural and historical facts to be relevant in organizing ourselves ethnically.Less
If, as was argued in Chapter 7, we should aim for a day when there are no more men and women and are no more races (though there may be genders and ethnicities), then what will this future look like? Will it be one on which we are all alike, androgynous and a light shade of brown? The chapter argues that the interpretation of sexual difference is important to achieve justice in any society in which humans reproduce biologically, and that although we should not organize ourselves as men and women, we should have some gender structure. The interpretation of geographic origin as marked on our bodies is not necessary to achieve justice, so we should not seek successors to race. However, this is compatible with taking cultural and historical facts to be relevant in organizing ourselves ethnically.
Devon W. Carbado and Cheryl I. Harris
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780520273436
- eISBN:
- 9780520953765
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520273436.003.0010
- Subject:
- Sociology, Race and Ethnicity
This chapter examines how the end of affirmative action in California functions as a racial project. Using Michael Omi and Howard Winant's conceptualization of racial projects, it considers the ways ...
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This chapter examines how the end of affirmative action in California functions as a racial project. Using Michael Omi and Howard Winant's conceptualization of racial projects, it considers the ways that the principles of “race neutrality” and “race preferences” operate in debates over “anti-preference” initiatives like Proposition 209. It shows how reinterpretation of the meaning of race through veneration of colorblindness led to the redistribution of resources along racial lines. It demonstrates this process through an inventive analysis of hypothetical personal statements written by Barack Obama and Clarence Thomas in their law school applications, arguing that bans on the explicit use of race in law school admissions do not abolish but reorder racial preferences. The chapter also suggests that racial identity can be expressed in different ways and that racial formation occurs not only at the level of social or political structure, but also at the level of identity performance.Less
This chapter examines how the end of affirmative action in California functions as a racial project. Using Michael Omi and Howard Winant's conceptualization of racial projects, it considers the ways that the principles of “race neutrality” and “race preferences” operate in debates over “anti-preference” initiatives like Proposition 209. It shows how reinterpretation of the meaning of race through veneration of colorblindness led to the redistribution of resources along racial lines. It demonstrates this process through an inventive analysis of hypothetical personal statements written by Barack Obama and Clarence Thomas in their law school applications, arguing that bans on the explicit use of race in law school admissions do not abolish but reorder racial preferences. The chapter also suggests that racial identity can be expressed in different ways and that racial formation occurs not only at the level of social or political structure, but also at the level of identity performance.
Andrew J. Jolivette
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781447301011
- eISBN:
- 9781447307228
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447301011.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Race and Ethnicity
An examination of mixed-race identity within the context of religious, ethnic, racial and media representations and discourse during the 2008 U.S. presidential election campaign.
An examination of mixed-race identity within the context of religious, ethnic, racial and media representations and discourse during the 2008 U.S. presidential election campaign.
Heather Schoenfeld
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780226520964
- eISBN:
- 9780226521152
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226521152.003.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Criminal Law and Criminology
This chapter introduces the core claims, concepts, and contributions of the book. It argues that mass incarceration was not inevitable. Policymakers had to choose to build state capacity to arrest, ...
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This chapter introduces the core claims, concepts, and contributions of the book. It argues that mass incarceration was not inevitable. Policymakers had to choose to build state capacity to arrest, process, and punish people deemed criminal. Examining decisions to build carceral capacity provides a new way to understand the development of the carceral state, or the network of people and institutions responsible for the United States’ system of criminal punishment. A political developmental perspective draws attention to the interaction of national and subnational policy and politics in creating the carceral state. It also contributes to current debates about the role of crime, media, and public opinion in fostering politicians’ support for punitive policies. Finally, this perspective incorporates the role of race in the development of the carceral state through the device of racial projects, or collective actors’ response to historical racial hierarchies, which inform policymakers’ penal policy decisions.Less
This chapter introduces the core claims, concepts, and contributions of the book. It argues that mass incarceration was not inevitable. Policymakers had to choose to build state capacity to arrest, process, and punish people deemed criminal. Examining decisions to build carceral capacity provides a new way to understand the development of the carceral state, or the network of people and institutions responsible for the United States’ system of criminal punishment. A political developmental perspective draws attention to the interaction of national and subnational policy and politics in creating the carceral state. It also contributes to current debates about the role of crime, media, and public opinion in fostering politicians’ support for punitive policies. Finally, this perspective incorporates the role of race in the development of the carceral state through the device of racial projects, or collective actors’ response to historical racial hierarchies, which inform policymakers’ penal policy decisions.
Michelle A. McKinley
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780520273436
- eISBN:
- 9780520953765
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520273436.003.0007
- Subject:
- Sociology, Race and Ethnicity
This chapter examines the complex logics and political forces underlying racial formation in early colonial Lima. It considers the theme of “racial democracy” and its associated racial projects of ...
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This chapter examines the complex logics and political forces underlying racial formation in early colonial Lima. It considers the theme of “racial democracy” and its associated racial projects of mestizaje, indigenismo, and contemporary multiculturalism in Latin America in order to highlight the constitutive nature of “race” itself in Iberian thought as reflected in the legal recognition of mestizo categories. It begins by historically situating the twentieth-century Latin American racial project of mestizaje and twenty-first-century multiculturalism within their origins in medieval hierarchies of blood mixing. It then discusses the tensions that surround comparative conversations about race and how ideas of blood purity were worked out in a slaveholding, colonial milieu in which extensive race mixing occurred. It also charts the development of categories of race and caste in seventeenth-century Lima as well as the cultural zoning of black (Afro-Latino) and indigenous (indio) that reemerged in the contemporary discourse of Latin American multiculturalism.Less
This chapter examines the complex logics and political forces underlying racial formation in early colonial Lima. It considers the theme of “racial democracy” and its associated racial projects of mestizaje, indigenismo, and contemporary multiculturalism in Latin America in order to highlight the constitutive nature of “race” itself in Iberian thought as reflected in the legal recognition of mestizo categories. It begins by historically situating the twentieth-century Latin American racial project of mestizaje and twenty-first-century multiculturalism within their origins in medieval hierarchies of blood mixing. It then discusses the tensions that surround comparative conversations about race and how ideas of blood purity were worked out in a slaveholding, colonial milieu in which extensive race mixing occurred. It also charts the development of categories of race and caste in seventeenth-century Lima as well as the cultural zoning of black (Afro-Latino) and indigenous (indio) that reemerged in the contemporary discourse of Latin American multiculturalism.
Heather Schoenfeld
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780226520964
- eISBN:
- 9780226521152
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226521152.003.0008
- Subject:
- Law, Criminal Law and Criminology
This chapter concludes by summarizing the story of prison growth in Florida and the political developmental perspective on the carceral state. Additionally, it discusses the implications of the story ...
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This chapter concludes by summarizing the story of prison growth in Florida and the political developmental perspective on the carceral state. Additionally, it discusses the implications of the story of Florida for explanations of the carceral state. In particular, it highlights the role of racial projects, partisan politics, federalism, and proceduralism. It also discusses broad lessons for decarceration reform. Finally, it calls for a new ethos on which to base crime control and punishment.Less
This chapter concludes by summarizing the story of prison growth in Florida and the political developmental perspective on the carceral state. Additionally, it discusses the implications of the story of Florida for explanations of the carceral state. In particular, it highlights the role of racial projects, partisan politics, federalism, and proceduralism. It also discusses broad lessons for decarceration reform. Finally, it calls for a new ethos on which to base crime control and punishment.
Samuel Escalante
- Published in print:
- 2022
- Published Online:
- February 2022
- ISBN:
- 9780197600962
- eISBN:
- 9780197600993
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780197600962.003.0014
- Subject:
- Music, Philosophy of Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
This chapter uses Omi and Winant’s racial formation theory to explore the assumptions surrounding race in music education research. Noting that that race cannot be reduced to other sociological ...
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This chapter uses Omi and Winant’s racial formation theory to explore the assumptions surrounding race in music education research. Noting that that race cannot be reduced to other sociological concepts such as national identity, ethnicity, or class, the chapter argues that by simplifying or essentializing race, researchers have overlooked nuanced differences within and among racialized groups. Suggesting that existing studies “interpret, represent, or explain racial identities and meanings,” it urges researchers to construct deeper views of the material and social aspects of race in order to develop antiracist research projects. It concludes with considerations for planning, implementing, analyzing, interpreting, publishing, and consuming research on race in music education.Less
This chapter uses Omi and Winant’s racial formation theory to explore the assumptions surrounding race in music education research. Noting that that race cannot be reduced to other sociological concepts such as national identity, ethnicity, or class, the chapter argues that by simplifying or essentializing race, researchers have overlooked nuanced differences within and among racialized groups. Suggesting that existing studies “interpret, represent, or explain racial identities and meanings,” it urges researchers to construct deeper views of the material and social aspects of race in order to develop antiracist research projects. It concludes with considerations for planning, implementing, analyzing, interpreting, publishing, and consuming research on race in music education.
Michael Omi
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780824847586
- eISBN:
- 9780824873066
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824847586.003.0003
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Cultural Studies
Given the exponential growth and increased visibility of the Asian American population in the U.S., how are they positioned in the prevailing framework of racial classification and racial meanings? I ...
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Given the exponential growth and increased visibility of the Asian American population in the U.S., how are they positioned in the prevailing framework of racial classification and racial meanings? I argue that the current context for racially positioning Asian Americans is the increased scholarly attention being paid to the concept of “whiteness.” Just as previous “outsiders” (e.g., Irish, Jews) have been incorporated into popular understandings of who is white, there is increasing speculation in the contemporary social science literature that Asian Americans are following a similar trajectory of inclusion. The social and cultural indicators evoked to advance such an argument are discussed and subject to alternative interpretation.Less
Given the exponential growth and increased visibility of the Asian American population in the U.S., how are they positioned in the prevailing framework of racial classification and racial meanings? I argue that the current context for racially positioning Asian Americans is the increased scholarly attention being paid to the concept of “whiteness.” Just as previous “outsiders” (e.g., Irish, Jews) have been incorporated into popular understandings of who is white, there is increasing speculation in the contemporary social science literature that Asian Americans are following a similar trajectory of inclusion. The social and cultural indicators evoked to advance such an argument are discussed and subject to alternative interpretation.
Mark Padoongpatt
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780520293731
- eISBN:
- 9780520966925
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520293731.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
Flavors of Empire examines the rise of Thai food and the way it shaped the racial and ethnic contours of Thai American identity and community. Mark Padoongpatt makes use of original archival research ...
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Flavors of Empire examines the rise of Thai food and the way it shaped the racial and ethnic contours of Thai American identity and community. Mark Padoongpatt makes use of original archival research and rich oral histories to explore the factors that made foodways central to the Thai American experience. Starting with the U.S. Cold War intervention in Thailand, he traces how the informal U.S. empire allowed Americans to discover Thai food and introduce it to adventurous eaters back home. When Thais arrived in Los Angeles, they reinvented and repackaged Thai cuisine in various ways to meet its rising popularity in urban and suburban spaces. America's fascination with Thai cuisine resulted in Thais having to remake themselves over the second half of the twentieth century in relation to the perceived exoticness and sensuousness of Thai food. Padoongpatt argues that this remaking produced "Thai Americans"—not a cultural identity rooted in ethnic difference but a social and political relationship defined by U.S. empire, liberal multiculturalism, and racial geography of Los Angeles. He also contends that while food brought Thais together, provided a sense of pride and visibility, and allowed Thai Americans to lay claims to their place in the city, it also led to divisions within the community and created barriers to collective mobilization for social justice. Padoongpatt deftly handles the history, politics, and tastes of Thai food, all while demonstrating the way racial projects emerge in seemingly mundane and unexpected places in an era of multiculturalism.Less
Flavors of Empire examines the rise of Thai food and the way it shaped the racial and ethnic contours of Thai American identity and community. Mark Padoongpatt makes use of original archival research and rich oral histories to explore the factors that made foodways central to the Thai American experience. Starting with the U.S. Cold War intervention in Thailand, he traces how the informal U.S. empire allowed Americans to discover Thai food and introduce it to adventurous eaters back home. When Thais arrived in Los Angeles, they reinvented and repackaged Thai cuisine in various ways to meet its rising popularity in urban and suburban spaces. America's fascination with Thai cuisine resulted in Thais having to remake themselves over the second half of the twentieth century in relation to the perceived exoticness and sensuousness of Thai food. Padoongpatt argues that this remaking produced "Thai Americans"—not a cultural identity rooted in ethnic difference but a social and political relationship defined by U.S. empire, liberal multiculturalism, and racial geography of Los Angeles. He also contends that while food brought Thais together, provided a sense of pride and visibility, and allowed Thai Americans to lay claims to their place in the city, it also led to divisions within the community and created barriers to collective mobilization for social justice. Padoongpatt deftly handles the history, politics, and tastes of Thai food, all while demonstrating the way racial projects emerge in seemingly mundane and unexpected places in an era of multiculturalism.
Jemima Pierre
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780226923024
- eISBN:
- 9780226923048
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226923048.003.0004
- Subject:
- Anthropology, African Cultural Anthropology
This chapter explores a key racial project in contemporary Ghana: the interdependent relationship between the trope of Whiteness and White positionality. It begins with an ethnographically informed ...
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This chapter explores a key racial project in contemporary Ghana: the interdependent relationship between the trope of Whiteness and White positionality. It begins with an ethnographically informed analysis of the contours of modern Whiteness. It argues that although the White population in Ghana is mostly transient, and White positionality is hardly rigid, Whiteness has retained its undisputed, if contested, power of position. It demonstrates how Whiteness continues to have currency in this nominally Black postcolonial African nation, revealing a clear discourse of race that is articulated through practices that both reflect global economic, political, and cultural hierarchies, and that reinforce White privilege on the local level.Less
This chapter explores a key racial project in contemporary Ghana: the interdependent relationship between the trope of Whiteness and White positionality. It begins with an ethnographically informed analysis of the contours of modern Whiteness. It argues that although the White population in Ghana is mostly transient, and White positionality is hardly rigid, Whiteness has retained its undisputed, if contested, power of position. It demonstrates how Whiteness continues to have currency in this nominally Black postcolonial African nation, revealing a clear discourse of race that is articulated through practices that both reflect global economic, political, and cultural hierarchies, and that reinforce White privilege on the local level.
Catherine Zimmer
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781479864379
- eISBN:
- 9781479876853
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9781479864379.003.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Media Studies
The book’s introduction provides a historical overview of the intersections of cinema and surveillance and of the theoretical treatment of surveillance in film. Through analysis of the shared ...
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The book’s introduction provides a historical overview of the intersections of cinema and surveillance and of the theoretical treatment of surveillance in film. Through analysis of the shared technological histories of surveillance and film, as well as exemplary instances of early cinema, it shows the close relationship between the development of narrative technique in film and surveillance practice, arguing that both are deeply implicated in forming racial visibility, and thus that surveillance and cinema are racial projects. This introduction also suggests that such an analysis of surveillance in cinema has been constrained in part by overreliance on the conceptual framework of “voyeurism” and argues that voyeurism must itself be understood as existing within a historical and political context. The introduction thus provides a short analysis of the canonical surveillance film The Conversation to demonstrate how cinematic narrative and surveillance practice function together in the formation of both personal and political subjectivity. The remainder of the introduction provides outlines of the chapters of the book, which address more contemporary films and genres and introduce new theoretical frames through which to understand surveillance through cinema, and vice versa.Less
The book’s introduction provides a historical overview of the intersections of cinema and surveillance and of the theoretical treatment of surveillance in film. Through analysis of the shared technological histories of surveillance and film, as well as exemplary instances of early cinema, it shows the close relationship between the development of narrative technique in film and surveillance practice, arguing that both are deeply implicated in forming racial visibility, and thus that surveillance and cinema are racial projects. This introduction also suggests that such an analysis of surveillance in cinema has been constrained in part by overreliance on the conceptual framework of “voyeurism” and argues that voyeurism must itself be understood as existing within a historical and political context. The introduction thus provides a short analysis of the canonical surveillance film The Conversation to demonstrate how cinematic narrative and surveillance practice function together in the formation of both personal and political subjectivity. The remainder of the introduction provides outlines of the chapters of the book, which address more contemporary films and genres and introduce new theoretical frames through which to understand surveillance through cinema, and vice versa.