Diversity, Identity, Oppression: The Construction of “Blackness” in Dear White People
In the series Dear White People (DWP), students at the fictional University of Winchester struggle for racial justice. We analyze how the series treats “race” and racism and how this relates to contemporary debates in the United States. While the series presents an imaginary environment, we recogniz...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
De Gruyter
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Open Philosophy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/opphil-2020-0171 |
| _version_ | 1818027603498369024 |
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| author | Schelenz Laura Vondermaßen Marcel |
| author_facet | Schelenz Laura Vondermaßen Marcel |
| author_sort | Schelenz Laura |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the series Dear White People (DWP), students at the fictional University of Winchester struggle for racial justice. We analyze how the series treats “race” and racism and how this relates to contemporary debates in the United States. While the series presents an imaginary environment, we recognize strong similarities to actual student life and students grappling with various experiences of oppression including sexual violence. We draw on theories of identity formation (Margalit and Raz; Vondermaßen; Young) and intersectionality (Crenshaw; Collins) to uncover how the series portrays and complicates “Blackness” as an identity-forming experience and as an experience shaped by converging forms of structural discrimination. While we highlight the merit of combining two theoretical approaches (one of identity formation and one of oppression), we note that especially intersectionality helped uncover a major blind spot of the series. Although Black women are at the center of the series and the struggle for racial equality at Winchester, their particular experiences of violence are marginalized in seasons 1–3. This tendency to overlook the experiences of Black women reflects the larger debate around race, racism, and movements for social justice. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T04:50:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e475596846b4400ba08009d58ab3f14b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2543-8875 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T04:50:31Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | De Gruyter |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Open Philosophy |
| spelling | doaj.art-e475596846b4400ba08009d58ab3f14b2022-12-22T02:01:38ZengDe GruyterOpen Philosophy2543-88752021-12-0151445610.1515/opphil-2020-0171Diversity, Identity, Oppression: The Construction of “Blackness” in Dear White PeopleSchelenz Laura0Vondermaßen Marcel1International Center for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, GermanyInternational Center for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, GermanyIn the series Dear White People (DWP), students at the fictional University of Winchester struggle for racial justice. We analyze how the series treats “race” and racism and how this relates to contemporary debates in the United States. While the series presents an imaginary environment, we recognize strong similarities to actual student life and students grappling with various experiences of oppression including sexual violence. We draw on theories of identity formation (Margalit and Raz; Vondermaßen; Young) and intersectionality (Crenshaw; Collins) to uncover how the series portrays and complicates “Blackness” as an identity-forming experience and as an experience shaped by converging forms of structural discrimination. While we highlight the merit of combining two theoretical approaches (one of identity formation and one of oppression), we note that especially intersectionality helped uncover a major blind spot of the series. Although Black women are at the center of the series and the struggle for racial equality at Winchester, their particular experiences of violence are marginalized in seasons 1–3. This tendency to overlook the experiences of Black women reflects the larger debate around race, racism, and movements for social justice.https://doi.org/10.1515/opphil-2020-0171blacknessdiversityintersectionalityidentityexperienceidentity-forming groupsblack feminismracismraceamerica |
| spellingShingle | Schelenz Laura Vondermaßen Marcel Diversity, Identity, Oppression: The Construction of “Blackness” in Dear White People Open Philosophy blackness diversity intersectionality identity experience identity-forming groups black feminism racism race america |
| title | Diversity, Identity, Oppression: The Construction of “Blackness” in Dear White People |
| title_full | Diversity, Identity, Oppression: The Construction of “Blackness” in Dear White People |
| title_fullStr | Diversity, Identity, Oppression: The Construction of “Blackness” in Dear White People |
| title_full_unstemmed | Diversity, Identity, Oppression: The Construction of “Blackness” in Dear White People |
| title_short | Diversity, Identity, Oppression: The Construction of “Blackness” in Dear White People |
| title_sort | diversity identity oppression the construction of blackness in dear white people |
| topic | blackness diversity intersectionality identity experience identity-forming groups black feminism racism race america |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1515/opphil-2020-0171 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT schelenzlaura diversityidentityoppressiontheconstructionofblacknessindearwhitepeople AT vondermaßenmarcel diversityidentityoppressiontheconstructionofblacknessindearwhitepeople |