Race is everywhere. We are socialized into seeing and understanding race on a cultural level. Therefore, we are doing race everyday. We live in a nation that is surrounded by differences, we must make sensible understanding of these differences. Therefore, race shapes our worldviews and we do race on a day-to-day basis.
Hartigan suggest we do race more specifically by grouping and assigning meaning to the differences we face daily. We assign these meanings by grouping people into us and other categories. Hartigan suggests that we come about these divisions through embodiment and/or location. Hartigan says we use certain physical features, such as skin color, to classify people into racial or ethnic groups. We also use locations to racially group areas. Once these groups are established we create meaning for these groups. He suggests that by categorizing certain people into groups based on these criteria we are performing racial identities, roles and meanings, by doing so we are actively doing race.
Other than doing race by classifying and creating meaning for groups we do race no only by assigning these meanings but also using the meanings we learn. We therefore do race simply by discussing, understanding, and acknowledging the fact that there are presupposed meanings about race. Similarly, we are doing race by acknowledging and choosing to pretend these meaning do not exist. This I similar to what Hartigan discusses as color-blind racism. However, if we accept that there are certain meanings assigned to groups of people based on their race, and we try to change the meanings and associations with these groups we are doing race as well.
Doing race seems like such a broad idea. Can we actually be doing race without being antiracist or racist? How?
I am not fully on board with the term "doing race". I am not convinced that it is a novel way of looking at things--so we recognize when other people are different from us. I can be in an all white group and still notice the differences between us. Any time we are with other people (same race or different)we always notice differences, and just because skin color happens to be one, we are "doing race". But only because skin color is a big determinate in race....what if race was based solely off of eye color or height?? I don't think that doing race is racist or antiracist. It is as natural as breathing--if this is all that goes into "doing race". I feel like when race is an issue then we are getting into the level of racism.
ReplyDeleteI feel like my lines are getting blurred here. Doing race, versus passive racism, versus defacto, etc... It's like that color circle from class today, it is hard to see where one color definitely ends and where one begins.
I think what Hartigan means by the expression "doing race" is the actions, thoughts, and reactions we have that are about noticing race. Think about it. Not every minute of every day is about race. Much of it is not (for most white people, that is). The example he gives of the hillbillies if a great illustration of that:
ReplyDeleteThe hillbillies "do" race when they tell Hartigan to cross the street (location) to see what "race relations" really look like. When they are at the bbq or the bar, in mixed-race company, they are NOT "doing" race because at that moment and in that physical setting (location) it becomes irrelevant.
So Hartigan uses the trope "doing race" as a way to get us, as ethnographers, to identify the times and contexts in which race becomes salient (as an explanation for someone's behavior, as a rationale for one's own, etc.), and contrast them with the times and contexts in which race is not noticed or important.
Is this making any sense?
Ok, I think I have a better understanding now. Thanks! :)
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