Racism: It is social; not "natural;" it is general; not "personal"; and it is tragically effective. In a remarkable meditation on a subject at the troubled center of American life; Albert Memmi investigates racism as social pathology -- a cultural disease that prevails because it allows one segment of society to empower itself at the expense of another. By turns historical; sociological; and autobiographical; Racism moves beyond individual prejudice and taste to engage the broader questions of collective behavior and social responsibility.The book comprises three sections -- "Description; " "Definition; " and "Treatment" -- in which Memmi delineates racism's causes and hidden workings; examines its close affinity to colonialism; and considers its everyday manifestations over a period of centuries throughout the West. His topics include bigotry against Blacks; anti-Semitism; the meaning of "whiteness; " and the status of the Quebecois.For Memmi; the structure of racism has four "moments": the insistenc on difference; the negative valuation imposed on those who differ; the generalizing of this negative valuation to an entire group; and the use of generalization to legitimize hostility. Memmi shows how it is not racism's content -- which can change at will -- but its form that gives it such power and tenacity.
#4066141 in Books Facts on File 1994-11Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.50 x 6.75 x 1.00l; #File Name: 0816022909320 pages
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