Well, Harry, perhaps we can agree to disagree. Selma
----- Original Message ----- From: "Harry Pollard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Selma Singer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2003 12:19 AM Subject: Re: [Futurework] ) Hue and Cry on 'Whiteness Studies' > > Selma, > > This is just part of the absolute nonsense that surrounds unimportant > differences in complexion. How these people in universities can waste their > time on this is beyond belief. > > Academe would be put to better use if they taught their students plumbing, > or something else equally useful. > > Harry > ---------------------------------------------------- > > Selma wrote: > > >It is my not so humble opinion that this kind of thing is absolutely > >essential if we are ever to honestly confront the issues of race in this > >country. > > > >Selma > > > > > > > > > Hue and Cry on 'Whiteness Studies' > > > An Academic Field's Take on Race Stirs Interest and Anger > > > By Darryl Fears > > > > > > Washington Post > > > Friday, June 20, 2003; Page A01 > > > > > > AMHERST, Mass. -- Naomi Cairns was among the leaders in the privilege > >walk, and > > > she wasn't happy about it. > > > > > > The exercise, which recently involved Cairns and her classmates in a > >course at > > > the University of Massachusetts, had two simple rules: When the moderator > >read > > > a > > > statement that applied to you, you stepped forward; if it didn't, you > >stepped > > > back. After the moderator asked if you were certain you could get a bank > >loan > > > whenever you wanted, Cairns thought, "Oh my God, here we go again," and > >took > > > yet > > > another step forward. > > > > > > "You looked behind you and became really uncomfortable," said Cairns, a > > > 24-year-old junior who stood at the front of the classroom with other > >white > > > students. Asian and black students she admired were near the back. "We all > > > started together," she said, "and now were so separated." > > > > > > The privilege walk was part of a course in whiteness studies, a > > > controversial and relatively new academic field that seeks to change how > > > white people think about race. The field is based on a left-leaning > > > interpretation of history by scholars who say the concept of race was > > > created by a rich white European and American elite, and has been used to > > > deny property, power and status to nonwhite groups for two centuries. > > > > > > Advocates of whiteness studies -- most of whom are white liberals who hope > > > to dismantle notions of race -- believe that white Americans are so > > > accustomed to being part of a privileged majority they do not see > >themselves as > > > part of a race. > > > > > > "Historically, it has been common to see whites as a people who don't have > >a > > > race, to see racial identity as something others have," said Howard > >Winant, a > > > white professor of sociology at the University of California at Santa > >Barbara > > > and a strong proponent of whiteness studies. "It's a great advance to > >start > > > looking at whiteness as a group." > > > > > > Winant said whiteness studies advocates must be careful not to paint white > > > heritage with a broad brush, or stray from the historical record. > > > Generalizations, he said, will only demonize whiteness. > > > > > > But opponents say whiteness studies has already done that. David Horowitz, > >a > > > conservative social critic who is white, said whiteness studies is leftist > > > philosophy spiraling out of control. "Black studies celebrates blackness, > > > Chicano studies celebrates Chicanos, women's studies celebrates women, and > > > white > > > studies attacks white people as evil," Horowitz said. > > > > > > "It's so evil that one author has called for the abolition of whiteness," > >he > > > said. "I have read their books, and it's just despicable." > > > > > > Whiteness studies, said Matthew Spalding, is "a derogatory name for > >Western > > > civilization." Its study is important only to those who think "black > >studies > > > and > > > Chicano studies haven't gone far enough in removing the baggage of > > > Anglo-European traditions," said Spalding, director of the Center for > >American > > > Studies at the Heritage Foundation. > > > > > > "The notion that you can get rid of a historical tradition as a way to > > > further current . . . concerns strikes me as intellectually misleading," > > > Spalding said. "It makes certain assumptions and looks for certain > >outcomes. > > > It's close-minded." > > > > > > Whiteness studies can be traced to the writings of black intellectuals > >such as > > > W.E.B. DuBois and James Baldwin, but the field did not coalesce until > >liberal > > > white scholars embraced it about eight years ago, according to some who > >helped > > > shape it. > > > > > > Now, despite widespread criticism and what some opponents view as major > > > flaws in the curriculum, at least 30 institutions -- from Princeton > > > University to the University of California at Los Angeles -- teach courses > > > in whiteness studies. > > > > > > The courses are emerging at a pivotal time. Scientists have determined > >that > > > there is scant genetic distinction between races, and the 2000 Census > >allowed > > > residents to define themselves by multiple racial categories for the first > > > time. > > > Dozens of books, such as "The Invention of the White Race," "How the Irish > > > Became White" and "Memoir of a Race Traitor," are standard reading for > >people > > > who study whiteness. Recently, the Public Broadcasting System aired a > > > documentary titled "Race: The Power of an Illusion." > > > > > > "If you ask 10 people what is race, you're likely to get 10 different > > > answers," said Larry Adelman, who conceived, produced and co-directed that > > > documentary. "How many races would there be? Where did the idea come > >from?" > > > > > > At U-Mass., those questions and others were raised in "The Social > > > Construction of Whiteness and Women," one of two whiteness studies courses > > > Cairns took last semester. > > > Read and Discuss > > > > > > The students, about three-quarters of them white, slid into desks and > > > unloaded giant book bags, which were stuffed with required reading. The > > > books included Theodore Allen's "The Invention of the White Race: Racial > > > Oppression and Social Control," which argues, in part, that the collection > > > of European immigrants into a white race was a political act to control > >the > > > country. > > > > > > Arlene Avakian, the chairman of the U-Mass. women's studies department, > >sat on > > > a > > > wide desk, let her legs dangle and asked the class to discuss the ideas of > > > racial privilege, environmental comfort and social control. Not all of her > > > students had taken part in the privilege walk -- it was conducted in > >another > > > course -- but many of them had. > > > > > > Winnie Chen, 22, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, said it pained her to > > > deal with race every day when her white peers seemed to rarely think about > > > it. She tried to discuss race with a white friend once, she said, but he > > > felt ambushed. > > > > > > "He said I was pulling a Pearl Harbor on him," she said. "It is so > >difficult > > > for > > > them to think there is another lens. He talked about Irish oppression. I > >asked, > > > 'Have you ever considered why you're no longer oppressed here when Asians, > > > blacks and Hispanics still are?' " > > > > > > A white student raised her hand and said she and a friend had gone to a > >hall > > > reserved for black student affairs, and the friend said she didn't feel > > > comfortable. > > > > > > Brandi-Ann Andrade, a 21-year-old junior who is black, rolled her eyes. > >"So > > > what?" she asked. "I never feel comfortable here. I'm a student at a > >school > > > where most people are white. The only time I feel comfortable is when I'm > >at > > > home." > > > > > > Dan Clason-Hook, 24, a white senior, said, "White students would never say > > > that we own the campus, but [whites] feel they do." > > > > > > The desire to always feel comfortable in their skin is something white > > > people feel entitled to, said Avakian, who is white. The dominant group > > > wants to control its environment, to own it. > > > > > > The students listened without objection, but they don't always. Avakian > >said > > > two > > > students in an earlier semester had challenged her, questioning why she > >taught > > > the course. After some discussion, Avakian recalled, they concluded her > >reason > > > was white guilt. > > > > > > Avakian dismissed that conclusion. "It's the suppressed history I'm > > > interested in teaching," she said. "White people can't know ourselves and > > > our country without knowing this history." > > > > > > Although whiteness studies teachers adopt different approaches for > >different > > > courses, they draw on the same reading of history. > > > > > > That reading traces the invention of race to the time and social class of > > > Thomas Jefferson, who wrote in the late 18th century not only that "all > >men are > > > created equal" in the Declaration of Independence, but also this, from his > > > "Notes on the State of Virginia": > > > > > > "I advance it, as a suspicion only, that the blacks, whether originally a > > > distinct race, or made distinct by time and circumstances, are inferior to > > > the whites in the endowments both of body and mind." > > > > > > >From such sentiments, whiteness studies advocates say, race was invented, > > > and the idea of white superiority was crucial to justifying slavery and, > > > later, the dispossession of Native Americans, Hispanics and Asians. > > > > > > "Jefferson believed in majority rule, but what majority was he in?" said > > > historian James O. Horton of George Washington University. "He wasn't in > >the > > > majority in terms of gender. He wasn't in the majority in terms of class. > >The > > > only majority he was in was race." > > > > > > Horton said poor white workers often joined black slaves and freemen in > > > popular rebellions in the 18th century. For example, he said, Crispus > > > Attucks, a black man, was among the first to die when an interracial mob > > > confronted British soldiers in the "Boston Massacre," five years before > >the > > > American Revolution started. > > > > > > But something happened between that time and Andrew Jackson's presidency > >in > > > 1828, Horton said. "Property laws were struck down, allowing white people > >at > > > the > > > bottom of society to vote based on race in 1807. At the same time that was > > > done, > > > race laws were put into its place. > > > > > > "There is this constant message hammered at poor white people," Horton > >said. > > > "You may be poor, you may have miserable lives right now, but . . . the > >thing > > > we > > > want you to focus on is the fact that you are white." > > > > > > In the 19th and 20th centuries, "race science" was used by Supreme Court > > > justices to deny rights, property and citizenship to various Asian > > > immigrants. > > > > > > In the housing boom that followed World War II, black veterans were denied > > > new federally backed mortgages that helped build white suburbs. > > > > > > Avakian said that if American history curriculums "told that story, this > > > would be a different country." > > > > > > "Slavery and genocide coexist with democracy and freedom," she said, and > > > that's what whiteness studies teaches. "President Andrew Jackson presided > > > during the mass murder of Indians. If we knew in detail how slavery > >existed > > > alongside freedom, we would have to change the national narrative." After > >Class > > > > > > Chen said Avakian's course made her more aware of how the sense of > >belonging > > > corresponds to skin color. "I would never not choose to be someone's > >friend > > > because they are white, but I think it's important to have friends of > >color," > > > she said. > > > > > > Jya Plavin, a 20-year-old sophomore who is white, said the course "was > > > really, really hard . . . both personally and as a white person, because > >you > > > really want to take the focus off you and your whiteness." > > > > > > Clason-Hook said that the class was the only one he knew of that > >explicitly > > > spoke of whiteness, and that it helped him realize that "other classes, > >like > > > economics, politics and history, are about whiteness. They are written by > >and > > > are about white people." > > > > > > He said later that confronting whiteness, day to day, is challenging. "I > >am > > > racist. It's not on the surface, but it's in me. Day to day I hear racist > > > comments, and people don't even know what they're saying." > > > > > > Andrade said she thought "the class was beneficial, because it brings to > > > light that white people, too, are racialized." > > > > > > Thinking back on the class discussion a few days later, Andrade wondered: > > > "In a culture that puts whiteness on top, what is blackness? When you look > > > at whiteness, blackness is always in the negative." > > > > > > Cairns, who had sailed through the privilege walk, said whiteness studies > > > helped her understand race a little better. "My social group has always > >been > > > white," she said. "I've noticed that, and I've started to look beyond my > > > group." > > > **************************************************** > Harry Pollard > Henry George School of Social Science of Los Angeles > Box 655 Tujunga CA 91042 > Tel: (818) 352-4141 -- Fax: (818) 353-2242 > http://home.attbi.com/~haledward > **************************************************** > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- > > --- > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.489 / Virus Database: 288 - Release Date: 6/10/2003 > _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
