Skip to main content

Thoughts from ch. 22 on racism, heterosexism, and black sexuality



“Prisons for Our Bodies, Closets for Our Minds: Racism, Heterosexism, and Black Sexuality,” Patricia Hill Collins
Patricia Hill Collins considers the intersecting relationship between racism and heterosexism. She argues that the assumption that these two hegemonic ideologies represent separate systems of oppression obscures the fact that racism and sexism rely upon each other for meaning. Without sacrificing the acknowledgement of differences in the way that racism and heterosexism manifest, the author shows that the two systems converge and that both systems affect the everyday lives of all people.

In class we attempted to answer the following questions. Since we didn't get to all of them, I encourage you to make comments here answering one of the questions. I am particularly interested in responses to no. 2 and 3 since we ran out of time for this in the 10 am class.

1.     Discuss the ways in which heterosexism and racism are linked, historically, according to Patricia Hill Collins.
2.     The author writes that, “Sakia and her friends share with all women the vulnerabilities that accrue to women who negotiate public space.” Discuss what she means by the phrase “negotiate public space.” How was Sakia negotiating space? Do you agree that all women share the vulnerability the author describes? Why or why not?
3.     Discuss the differences and similarities between the stigmatizing and deviancy associated with Black sexuality and the stigmatizing and deviancy associated with LBGT sexuality, according to the author.
4.     Discuss how binary thinking produces hegemonic ideologies. How else might we think about race and sexuality in order not to support such ideologies?
5.     On what basis does the author argue that marriage regulation has been “needed” when it has been imposed? What conditions do you think the author believes would have been necessary for such regulation not to have been needed by those who imposed it?



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

*Trans Bodies & Communities

For our reading on moving  beyond  the  binary , we set the tone with clips about the critically acclaimed FX series  Pose , which centers the experience of trans* women of color. The Daily Show clip provides some context and background with one of the series' writers and director, Janet Mock. The next clip features starts of the series discussing the importance of representation, which we can link to the  increased  levels of suicidal ideation in trans* communities, as well as  violence  on trans* bodies..
Post a Comment
Read more

The "Achievement Gap"

For today's reading on the achievement gap and education debt, we will discuss the video below, as well as an article from the Everyday Feminism blog. The reading addresses that white women have benefited the most from affirmative action. Research confirms the argument that gender was a "blindspot" in the original design of affirmative action policies. Ch. 33, “From the Achievement Gap to the Education Debt: Understanding Achievement in U.S. Schools,” Gloria Ladson-Billings Ladson-Billings addresses the “achievement gap,” a catchphrase to describe the difference in academic performance between White, minority, and lower socio-economic status students. This gap has been found to be most significantly affected by race and ethnicity, with a brief review of some of the potential causes. Ladson-Billings suggests avoiding too much focus on the gap, because most of the solutions are short-term in nature, and instead to look at the longer standing “educational debt” akin...
Post a Comment
Read more

The "Model" Minority Myth and Stereotypes of Asian American Communities

For our last reading and discussion topic this semester, it is significant that we were planning to discuss stereotypes of Asian Americans during our last week, even prior to the increased racism perpetuated on Asian Americans following misperceptions of COVID-19. As with earlier posts, please read through the material from all the links (including the one in the previous sentence) and view the included videos to contribute in an informed, respectful conversation below or on the Scholar discussion forum. We begin with a screening of this clip sharing some of the history in which the myth of Asian Americans as the " model minority " emerged. An article from the Urban Institute illuminates some of the economic realities that debunk the myth. Research published by the National Association of Independents Schools provides tools to intervene in the myth from an education context. Highlights from Ch. 39:   “Are Asian Americans Becoming ‘White’”? by Min Zhou: Zhou ...
16 comments
Read more