[Carelli] AT Antiblackness FileCompiled 4.1.14**Modules**AT: AntiBlacknessCoalitions1CCoalitionsAnti!blackness dooms an" possibilit" o# social c$an%e!!!accusator" politics create a sel#!#ul&llin% prop$ec" t$at cracks coalitions necessar" #or pro%ressClark '(Professor of Law, Catholic University Law School. (Leroy, A Critique of Professor Derrick A. Bells !hesis of the Per"anence of #acis" an$ %is Strate&y of Confrontation, '( Denv. U.L. #ev. )(*A +inal ,or$ Des-ite Professor Bells -ro-hecy of $oo", . /elieve he woul$ like to have his analysis -roven wron&. %owever, he $es-erately leans on a tactic fro" the -ast00layin& out the $isa/ilities of the /lack con$ition an$ accusin& whites of not havin& the "oral stren&th to act fairly. !hat is the ulti"ate the"e in /oth of his /ooks an$ in "uch of his law review writin&. T$at tacticnot onl" lacks #ull #orce a%ainst toda")s comple* societ", it also becomes, for "any whites,an e*a%%erated claim t$at racism is t$e sole cause o# black mis#ortunes . n123 Man" whites "ay #eel a/out the /lack con$ition what "any of us "ay have felt a/out the ho"eless4 disma"ed, but $a+in% no clear ans,er as to $o, t$e problem is to be sol+ed, and #eelin% in$ivi$ually po,erlessif the resolution calls for "assive resources that we, -ersonally, lack. Professor Bells two /ooks "ay con5r" this sense of -owerlessness in whites with a li"ite$ /ack&roun$ in this su/6ect, /ecause Professor Bell does not o-er asin&le pro%rammatic approac$to,ard c$an%in% t$e circumstance o# blacks..e presents onl" startlin&, unanaly7e$ prop$ecies o# doom, which will easily &arner attention fro" a controversy0hun&ry "e$ia. n12'/tis muc$ $arder toe*ercise ima%ination tocreate +iable strate%ies #or c$an%e . n128 Professor Bell sense$ the $es-air that the avera&e00es-ecially avera&e /lack00rea$er woul$ e9-erience, so he put #ort$ r$etoric ur%in% an 0unremittin% stru%%le that leaves no roo" for &ivin& u-.: n12;.is contentionisultimatel" $ollo,1 %i+en t$etotal s,eep o# $is ,ork .At some point it becomes d"s#unctional to re#use %i+in% an" credit to t$e +er" positi+e abatements o# racism t$at occurred ,it$ ,$ite support, an$ on occasion, white lea$ershi-.2acism t$ri+es in an atmosp$ere o# insecurit" , a--rehension a/out the future, and inter!%roup resentments. 3nrelentin%, unquali5e$ accusations onl" add to t$atne%ati+e atmosp$ere. 4mpat$etic and "ore %enerous responses arepossible inan at"os-here of su--ort, security, an$ a sense t$at ad+ancement is possible< the &reatest -ro&ress of /lacks occurre$ $urin& the 1;3=s an$ early 1;'=s when the econo"y was e9-an$in&. Professor Bells :analysis: is really only accusation an$ :harassin& white folks,: an$ isunderminin% and destructi+e. !here is no love00e9ce-t for his own &rou-00an$ there isa constricte$ reach for an un$erstan$in& of whites. T$ere is onl" ra%e an$ -er-le9ity.o brid%es are built!!onl" ri%$teousness is bein% sold .A -eo-le, /lack or white, are ca-a/le only to the e9tent they /elieve they are. >either ., nor Professor Bell, have a crystal /all, /ut . $o know that creati+it" and a dri+e #or c$an%e are+er" muc$linked to a belie#t$at t$e" are needed1 and to a belie#t$at t$e" can make a di-erence. T$e #uture ,ill be s$aped b" past conditions an$ the actions of those over who" we have no control.5et it is not &*ed6 it ,illalsobe s$aped b" t$e attitudesand ener%" ,it$ ,$ic$ ,e#ace t$e #uture.,ritin& a/out race is to en&a&e in a -ower stru&&le. .t is a non0neutral -olitical act, an$ one "ust take res-onsi/ility for its consequences. Tellin% ,$ites t$at t$e" are irremediabl"racist is not "ere :infor"ation:< it is a force that$elps create t$e #uture it predicts . .f whites /elieve the "essa&e, #eelin%s o# #utilit" coul$ o+er,$elman" #urt$er e-orts to seek c$an%e. . a" encoura&e$, however, that the "otto of the "ost articulate /lack s-okes-erson alive to$ay, ?esse ?ackson, is, :@ee- ho-e aliveA: an$ that "uch of the stren&th of Bartin Luther @in&, ?r. was his ca-acity to :$rea": us towar$ a /etter -lace.Turns commodi&cationBasu$ 7a+ar8ade$ 9, retire$ -rofessor of Cn&lish at Syracuse University6ac )(.1 ()==(* 6ournal of A$vance$ Co"-osition !heory !he peda%o%"o# appearance #ocuses on cultural representation an$ the role of re-resentation in constructin& the re-resente$. B" centerin% teac$in% in t$e mac$iner" o# 0representation10 it obliterates t$e ob:ecti+e. #e$ucin& -e$a&o&y to lessons in cultural se"iotics, it makes 0e*perience: of the -leasures of :$e-th less: surfaces t$e measure o# realit" andt$us obscurest$e social relations o# production t$at are t$e material conditions o# t$at e*perience. %owever, :T$is )li+ed) e*perience is nota %i+en 1 %i+en b" a pure )realit"1)but t$espontaneous)li+ed e*perience) o#ideolo%"in its peculiar relations$ip to t$e real: (Althusser ))(*. !he i$eolo&ical value of the conce-t of :e9-erience: in $e0conce-tuali7in& -e$a&o&y will -erha-s /eco"e "ore clear in e9a"inin& the way bour%eois radical peda%o%ues 1 suc$ as ;irou*1deplo" e*perienceas an instance o# spontaneit"toe+iscerate class as an e*planator" conceptb" ,$ic$t$e social relationso# propert"are criti,a%e labor= t$rou%$ t$e o,ners$ip o# t$e means o#production!into an institution o# cultural 0oppression0 based on 0po,er.0 +ourth, since class isli+ed t$rou%$ race1 it is not an ob:ecti+e #act (the relation of the worker to ownershi- ofthe "eans of -ro$uction* but a sub:ecti+e e*perience. T$e e*perience o# (:livin&:* class t$rou%$ race 1 like all e9-eriences, is contin%ent, aleatory, an$in$eter"inate. Class (live$ throu&h the e9-erience of race* is t$us reconstituted as contin%ent!an accident not a necessit" o# ,a%e labor. +ifth, since capitalism is not a s"stem /ut a series of a$ hoc arran&e"ents of e9chan&e with various workers of $iverse colors, it does not produce an ob:ecti+e binar" class s"stem but onl" cultural di-erences. ?ne cannot, therefore, obtain ob:ecti+e kno,led%e o# capitalism. !here are, in short, no laws of "otion of ca-ital6 t$ere are onl" 0e*periences0 o# ,ork in@uenced b" one)s color. Consequently, to say0as . have sai$0that ca-italis" is a re&i"e of e9-loitation is si"-ly a totalitarian closure. Ae cannot kno, ,$at capitalism is because, accor$in& to Eirou9s lo&ic, it is #rau%$t ,it$ di-erences (of race* not t$e sin%ularit" o# 0surplus labor.0 .n Eirou9s -e$a&o&y, there is no ca-italis" (:totality:*, only cultural eDects of ca-itals without ca-italis" (:$iDerences:*.;irou* represents $is %uttin% o# class as a radical and %roundbreakin% notiont$at ,ill lead to liberation o# t$e oppressed . .o,e+er1 $e ne+er completes t$e lo%ic o# $is ar%ument because in t$e endit ,illde%round $is position and turn it into epistemolo%ical nonsenseand political pantomime./# class is a uni+ersal cate%or" t$at obliterates t$e di-erence o# race1 t$ere is (on the /asis of such a clai"* noreason not to sa" t$at race is also a uni+ersal cate%or"because it obliterates t$e di-erence o# se*ualit" (an$ other $iDerences*, which is, /y the sa"e lo&ic, itself a universal cate&ory since it o/literatesthe $iDerence of a&e (an$ other $iDerences*, which is itself a universal cate&ory /ecause it o/literates the $iDerence of ($is *a/ility (an$ other $iDerences*, which is itself a universal cate&ory /ecause it o/literates the $iDerence of class (an$ other$iDerences*. .n short1 t$e social, in Eirou9s -e$a&o&y is a circle o# oppressions1 none o# ,$ose components cane*plain an" structural relations< eac$ simpl" absorbs t$e ot$er (:class is actually live$ throu&h race,: -ara-hrasin& Eirou9* and t$us points back to itsel# as a local kno,led%e o# t$e a-ecti+e1 di-erence1 and contin%enc". Class e*plains race6 it does not absorb it as an e*perience (see Butler, :Berely0=1 nor does it reduce it to t$e contin%encies o# et$nicities (%all, :>ew:* or ur/an -erfor"ativities (@elley, Fo *. !o -ut it $iDerently1 since in t$is pluralism o# oppressions eac$ elementcancels out t$e e*planator" capacit" o# all ot$ers1 t$ee*istin% social relations are reaBrmedin a pra%matic balancin% o# di-erences. ot$in% c$an%es1 e+er"t$in% is resi%ni&ed. T$e classroom o# e*perience reduces all concepts (which it "arks as :&ran$ narratives:* to a-ects (:little stories:* an$, instead o# e*plainin% t$e social in order to c$an%e it1 onl" 0interprets0 it as a pro#usion o# di-erences. !eachin& /eco"es an aGr"ation of the sin&ular0as0is< its lessons :save the honor of the na"e: (see Lyotar$, Post"o$ern 8)=. ;irou*)s pro%ram is a mimesis o# t$e lo%ic o#t$e rulin% ideolo%": as in all-e$a&o&ies of aDect, it redescribes t$e relation o# t$e sub:ecto# kno,led%e ,it$ t$e ,orld but lea+es t$e ,orlditsel# intact b" rei#"in% t$e si%ns o# 0di-erence: (see #orty, Contin&ency H(, '(*. !he su/6ect, as . will $iscuss later in "y analysis of Cary >elsons ra$ical -e$a&o&y, feels $iDerently a/out itself in a worl$ that re"ains what it was;irou* is puttin% #ort$ a class!cleansin% peda%o%": $e erases class #rom teac$in% in t$e name o# epistemolo%" (:totali7ation:*. But as . have alrea$y ar&ue$, epistemolo%" is not an issue for Eirou9< it is an alibi #or $ollo,in% out #rom class its economic e*planator" po,er . 4pistemolo%" in /our&eois peda%o%" is class politics represented as 0t$eor"0!,$ose aim is to turn class into a cultural aleator" e*perience. .n Eirou9s -heno"enolo&ical e9-erientialis", li+ed e*perience is an e*cuse #orad+ancin% t$e cause o# capital in a populist lo%ic (res-ect for the inelucta/le :e9-erience: of the stu$ent= so t$at t$estudent 1 t$e #uture ,orker1is trained as one ,$o understands t$e ,orld onl" t$rou%$ t$e sense!able!$is o,n 0uni,$at &lls it= E as ,ell as t$e mode o# t$is &llin% and its reproduction L are contin%ent. .n other wor$s, the "eanin& of t$e si%ni&er o# e*clusion is not determined once and #or all: the -lace of t$e place o#e*clusion1 o# deat$ isitsel# o+er!determined 1 i.e. t$e +er" #rame,ork #or decidin%t$e ot$e1 1111 1 1111r and t$e same1 e*clusion and inclusion1 is no,$ere en%ra+ed in ontolo%ical stone but is political and ne+erterminall" settled. Put $iDerently, t$e Fcur+ature o# intersub:ecti+e spaceG (Critchley )==', 31* an$ thus, t$e s-eci5c modes o# the Jotherin&K of F ot$ernessG are no,$ere decided in ad+ance >asa certainontolo%ical #atalism mi%$t $a+e it* (seeAilderson )==8*.T$e social does not $a+e to be di+ided into ,$ite and black , an$ t$e meanin% o# t$ese si%ni&ers is ne+er necessar" L because t$e" are si%ni&ers.!o /e sure, colonialism institutes a n ontolo%ical di+ision, in that whites e9ist in a way /arre$ to /lacks L who are not. But t$isontolo%ical relation isreall" on t$e side o# t$e onticL that is, of allcontin%entl" constructedidentities1 rat$er t$ant$e ontolo%" o# t$e social ,$ic$ re#ers to t$e ultimate un&*it" 1 t$e indeterminac" or lack o# t$e social. .n this sense, then, the white "an $oesnMt e9ist, the /lack "an $oesnMt e9ist (+anon 1;38, 13H*< an$ neither $oes the colonial sy"/olic itself, inclu$in& its "ost inti"ate structurin& relations L di+ision is constituti+e o# t$e social1 not t$e colonial di+ision. FA$itenessG ma" ,ellbe+er" deepl" sedimentin modernit" itself, /ut res-ect for the Jontolo&ical $iDerenceK (see %ei$e&&er 1;3), )3< ,atts )=11, )';* shows u- its ontolo&ical status as ontic. /t ma" be so deepl" sedimented t$at it becomes diBcult e+en to identi#" t$e +er" possibilit" o#t$e separation o# ,$iteness #rom the very -ossi/ility of order1 but #rom t$is it does not#ollo, t$at t$e F+oidG o# Fblack bein%G #unctions as t$e ultimate substance, the transcendental si%ni&ed on ,$ic$ all possible #orms o# socialit"are sai$ torest. A$at %ets lost here, then, ist$especi&cit" o# colonialism, of its constitutive a9is, its F ontolo%icalG di-erential.A crucial feature of the colonial sy"/olic is that the real is not screene$ oD /y the i"a&inary in the way it is un$er ca-italis". At the -lace of the colonise$, t$e s"mbolic and t$e ima%inar" %i+e ,a" because non!identit" (the real of the social* isimmediatel" inscribed in t$e Fli+ed e*perienceG (vNcu* o# t$e colonised sub:ect. !he colonise$ is Jtraversin& the fantasyK (Oi7ek )==3a, 2=L3=* all the ti"e< the voi$ of the ver/ Jto /eK is the very content of his inter-ellation. T$e colonised is, in other wor$s, t$e sub:ect o# an*iet" #or ,$om t$e s"mbolic and t$e ima%inar" ne+er ,ork, who is left stran$e$ /y his very inter-ellation.2 JFi*edG into Fnon!&*it"1G $e is eternall" suspended bet,een FelementG and FmomentGH L he is ,$ere t$e colonial s"mbolic #alters in t$e production o# meanin% and is t$us t$e point o# entr" o# t$e real into t$e te*ture itsel# o# colonialism. Be this as it "ay, ,$iteness and blackness are (sustained b"* determinate and contin%ent practices o# si%ni&cation6 t$e Fstructurin% relationG of colonialis" thus itself comprises a knot o# si%ni&cations,$ic$1no matter $o, ti%$t1 can al,a"s be undone.Anti!colonialL i.e., anti!F,$iteG L modes o# stru%%leare not (6ust* J-sychicK 3 /ut in+ol+et$e F reacti+ation G (or J$e0se$i"entationK*' o# colonial ob:ecti+it"itsel#. >o "atter how se$i"ente$ (or &lo/al*, colonial o/6ectivity is not ontolo&ically i""une to anta&onis". DiDerentiality, as Oi7ek insists (see Oi7ek )=1), cha-ter 11, ''1 n28*, i""anently entails anta&onis" in that $iDerentiality /oth "akes -ossi/le the e9istence of any i$entity whatsoever an$ at the sa"e ti"e L /ecause it is the -resence of one o/6ect in another L un$er"ines any i$entity ever /ein& (fully* itself. Cach ele"ent in a $iDerential relation is the con$ition of -ossi/ility an$ the con$ition of i"-ossi/ility of each other. .t is this $i"ension of anta&onis" that the Baster Si&ni5er covers over transfor"in& its outsi$e (Pther* into an ele"ent of itself, re$ucin& it to a con$ition of its -ossi/ility.8 All s"mbolisation produces an ineradicablee*cesso+er itsel#1 somet$in%it canDt totaliseor make sense o#1 where its -ro$uction of "eanin& falters. T$is is its internal li"it -oint, its real4; an errant Jo/6ectK t$at $as no place o# its o,n1 isnDt reco%nised in t$ecate%ories o# t$e s"stem but is produced b" itE its Fpart o# no partG or Fob:ect small a.G1= Correlative to this o/6ect JaK is the su/6ect Jstricto sensuK L i.e., as the e"-ty su/6ect of the si&ni5er without an i$entity that -ins it $own.11 T$at is t$e sub:ect o# anta%onism in con#rontation ,it$ t$e real o# t$e social1 as distinct #rom Fsub:ectG position based on a determinate identit".H.AildersonDs notion o# libidinal +iolence is o+erl" reducti+e!!!$e $as no ,a" to e*plain $istorical resistance to anti!blacknessbecause $is t$eor" pi%eon $oles all oppression into t$e non!#alsi&able re%ister o# ps"c$oanal"sis SaQr Baty BI 11, -rof of 5l" at Ports"outh University, !he US Decentre$, htt-4IIe-ress.li/.uts.e$u.auI6ournalsIin$e9.-h-Icsr6IarticleIviewI)(=2I)2'2As we shall see /elow, /lacks in the US cannot an$ $o not have ontolo&y, or so ,il$erson ar&ues, $enyin& with the sa"e /reath the worka/ility of analo&y as a "etho$, /ecause analo&y can only /e a ruse. !hus, what he calls Rthe ruse of analo&yM &rants those who fall for it, for e9a"-le, RBlack 5l" theoristsM or Black aca$e"ics, an o--ortunity to reSect on (/lack* cine"a only after so"e for" of structural alteration. ((8* Analo&y $oes see" tricky if one follows ,il$ersonMs line of thou&ht, that is, the %olocaustI?ews an$ slaveryIAfricans. ?ews entere$ an$ ca"e out of Auschwit7 as ?ews whereas Africans e"er&e$ fro" the slave shi-s as Blacks.) !wo ty-es of holocaust4 the 5rst R%u"anM, the secon$ R%u"an an$ "eta-hysicalM, so"ethin& which lea$s to ,il$erson sayin& that Rthe ?ews have the Dea$ ... a"on& the"< the Dea$ have the Black a"on& the"M. ((8* .t /ears reiteratin& that #or Ailderson1 blacks are sociall" and ontolo%icall" dead in the sense that the /lack /o$y has /een violently turne$ into Sesh, Rri--e$ a-art literally an$ i"a&inativelyM, that it is a /o$y vulnera/ly o-en, Ran o/6ect "a$e availa/le (fun&i/le* for any su/6ectM an$ Rnot in the worl$Mor civil society the way white /o$ies are. ((8*T +urther"ore, ,il$erson ar&ues that di-erences bet,een black and ,$iteet$ical dilemmas separate t$emdialecticall" intoincompatible 8ones. As illustration ,il$erson reSects on /lack wo"en suDerin& in US -risons in the 1;'=s an$ then 6u9ta-oses the suDerin& with white wo"enMs concurrent -u/lic -reoccu-ations in civil society. +or e9a"-le, the violence an$ ne&lect un$erwent /y Safya BukhariU Alston( in solitary con5ne"ent at the Vir&inia Correctional Center for ,o"en is linke$ to the si"ilar -li&ht of another /lack wo"an, Dorothy, in %aile Eeri"aMs Bush Ba"a (1;''* /efore ,il$erson questions what /oth situations "ean in relation to i"a&es of RWwXhite wo"en /urnin& /ras in %arvar$ Square ... "archin& in ... Banhattan ca"-ai&nin& for equal ri&htsM. (1(H* ,il$ersonMs answer is that the i"a&es of fe"ale /lack -ain an$ white activis" are irreconcila/le -recisely /ecause they cannot /e rea$ a&ainst one another without such an e9ercise a--earin& intellectually slo--y. %owever,$e does not de+elop t$is point , pre#errin%insteadto e*amine su-erin% t$rou%$Ja libidinal econom"D (1(1*leadin%1predictabl"1 to t$e conclusion t$at,$ite radicalism, white -olitical cinemaand,$ite supremac" are one an$ t$e same thin&. Most un#ortunate thou&h inevita/le is t$e reason Ailderson %i+es to 6ustify this4 a soUcalle$ RantiUBlacknessD that, T Wwil$erson quote /e&insXT as o--ose$ to white a-athy, is necessary to ,hite -olitical ra$icalis" an$ to ,hite -olitical cine"a /ecause it sutures aDective, e"otional, an$ even ethical soli$arity /etween the i$eolo&ical -olar e9tre"es of ,hiteness. !his necessary antiUBlackness erects a structural -rohi/ition that one sees in ,hite -olitical $iscourse an$ in ,hite -olitical cine"a. (1(1* Wwil$erson quote en$sXT un$a"entally, the 5rst three cha-ters of #e$, ,hite an$ Black are concerne$ with what it takes to think /lackness an$ a&ency to&ether ethically, or to -er"it ourselves intellectual "in$ful reSections u-on the ho"ici$al ontolo&y of chattel slavery. ,il$erson -osits ways throu&h which Rthe $ea$M (/lacks* reSect on how the livin& can /e -ut Rout of the -ictureM. (12(* !here see"s to /e no let oD or way out for /lacks (R!he SlaveM* in ,il$ersonMs lo&ic, an ener&etic an$ ri&orous, if unfor&ivin& an$ sustaine$, trea$"ill of $a"nin& analysis to which R.n$iansM (R!he JSava&eKMIR!he #e$M* will also /e su/6ecte$, 5rstthrou&h RJSava&eK 5l"M analysis.T YcontZT An$ "et AildersonMs hi&hli&htin& is -ro/le"atic /ecause it o+erlooks t$eJDias-oraM or RA#rican KiasporaD, a key co"-onent in Fearwoo$Ms thesis t$at, crucially, neit$erna+el L%a8es(that is, att$e 3M or black America* nor pretends to properl" en%a%e,it$ black &lm. +urther"ore, ,il$erson se-arates the $iDerent waves of /lack 5l" theory an$ a--roaches the", only, in ter"s of how a "ost recent one "i&ht challen&e its -rece$ent. A&ain, his a--roach is -ro/le"atic /ecause it $oes not "ention or e"-hasise the interUconnectivity ofIin /lack 5l" theory. As a case in -oint, ,il$erson $oes not link !o""y LottMs "o/ilisation of !hir$ Cine"a for /lack 5l" theory to Fearwoo$Ms i$ea of African Dias-ora. (32* A$$itionally, of course, ,il$erson see"s unaware that !hir$ Cine"a itself has /een fun$a"entally questione$ since LottMs 1;;=sM theory of /lack 5l" was for"ulate$. Fet another consequence of i%norin% t$e A#rican Kiaspora is that it e*poses AildersonDs corpus of 5l"s as unable to carr" t$e ,ei%$t o# t$e transnational ar%ument $e attempts to ad+ance. %ere, /eyon$ the USUcentricity or Rsocial an$ -olitical s-eci5city of WhisX 5l"o&ra-hyM, (;H* . a" talkin& a/out ,il$ersonMs choice of 5l"s. +or e9a"-le, Antwone +isher ($ir. Den7el ,ashin&ton, )==)* is attacke$ unfairly for failin& to acknowle$&e Ra &ri$ of ca-tivity across s-atial $i"ensions of the Black J/o$yK, the Black Jho"eK, an$ the Black Jco""unityKM (111* while 5l"s like Alan an$ Al/ert %u&hesMs Benace .. Society (1;;(*, overlooke$, $o acknowle$&e the sa"e &ri$ an$, a$$itionally, -ro/le"atise Street !erroris" Cnforce"ent an$ Prevention Act(S!CP* -olicin&. !he a/ove e9a"-les e9-ose the fact of ,il$ersonMs $u/ious an$ questiona/le conclusions on /lack 5l".T #e$, ,hite an$ Black is -articularly un$er"ine$ /y AildersonDs propensit" #or e*a%%eration an$ /linkere$ness. .n cha-ter nine, RJSava&eK >e&ro-ho/iaM, he writes T Wwil$erson quote /e&insXT !he -hiloso-hical an9iety of Skins is all too aware that throu&h the Bi$$le Passa&e, African culture /eca"e Black RstyleM ... Blackness can /e -lace$ an$ $is-lace$ with li"itless frequency an$ across untol$ territories, /y whoever so chooses. Bost i"-ortant, there is nothin& real Black -eo-le can $o to either check or $irect this -rocess ... Anyone can say Rni&&erM /ecause anyone can /e a Rni&&erM. ()(H*'T Wwil$erson quote en$sX T Si"ilarly, in cha-ter ten, RA Crisis in the Co""onsM, ,il$erson a$$resses the issue of RBlack ti"eM. Black is irredeemable, he ar&ues, /ecause, at no ti"e in history ha$ it /een $ee"e$, or $ee"e$ throu&h the ri&ht historical "o"ent an$ -lace. .n other wor$s, the /lack "o"ent an$ -lace are not ri&ht /ecause they are Rthe shi- hol$ of the Bi$$le Passa&eM4 Rthe "ost coherent te"-orality ever $ee"e$ as Black ti"eM /ut also Rthe J"o"entK of no ti"e at all on the "a- of no -lace at allM. ()';*T >ot only $oes PinhoMs "ore "ature analysis e9-ose this -oint as -re-osterous (see /elow*, / also ,onder ,$at Aildersonmakes o# t$e countless $istoriansD and sociolo%istsD ,orks on sla+e s$ips, shi-/oar$ insurrections an$Idurin% t$e Middle Cassa%e,8 or o#%roundbreakin% :a88Lstudies books on cross Lculturaldialo%uelike !he Pther Si$e of >owhere ()==2*. >owhere has another si$e, /ut once Aildersont$eorises blacks as sociall" and ontolo%icall"dead ,$ile dismissin% :a88 as Jbelon%in% nowhere an$ to no one, si"-ly there for the takin&M, ())H*t$ere seems to be no ,a" back. /t ist$ere#ore$ardl" surprisin%t$at Ailderson duckst$e need to pro+idea solutionor alternati+eto /oth his sustaine$ /ashin& of /lacks an$ antiL Blackness.; Last /ut not least, #e$, ,hite an$ Black en$s like a /a$ly -lu&&e$ announce"ent of a /a$ %ollywoo$ 5l"Ms /a$ly -lanne$ sequel4 R%ow $oes one $econstruct life[ ,ho woul$ /ene5t fro" such an un$ertakin&[ !he co\e a--roaches with its answers in tow.M ((2=*HCTurns CaseT$eir attempt to ele+ate black consciousness $omo%eni8es immi%rant communities into uni+ersal notions o# FblacknessG to solidi#" control o# urban communities !!! t$is renders #urt$er+iolence e+en a%ainst Black immi%rantsNim 1;'' E Cro#essor o# Mociolo%" at Aestern /llinois 3ni+ersit" (@wan& Chun&, Koreans in the Hood: Confict with African Americans -. 1=(01='*Black C"-ower"ent an$ the :Africani7ation: of >ew Black .""i&rantsA ke" underl"in% process in t$is black!black con@ict is t$e et$nic empo,erment o# blacks #or political purposes. T$is re#ers to t$e process t$rou%$ ,$ic$ blacks in urban America attempt to increase t$eir po,er0 /e it econo"ic or -oliticalb" raciali8in% and et$nici8in%ne, black im mi%rantsas a %roup. /t is t$e social process o# et$no%enesis an$ &rou- for"ation ,it$ t$e %oal o# %ainin% po,er on t$e basis o# et$nicit" (Pitts 1;'2< !aylor 1;';< Bason 1;8)< #oosens 1;8;*. .n this -rocess, blacks are constantl" reminded b" ot$er blacks o# t$e raciall" de&ned meanin%s o# 0bein% black in America.0Black consciousnessand identit" are stressed1 and%roup boundaries arere$e5ne$ an$ rein#orcedbecause et$nicit"brin%s people 0strate%ic ad+anta%es0,$en it is 0politici8ed0 (#oosens 1;8;4 12*. Cthnicity, as ?ose-h #othschil$ o/serves in his /ook Cthno-oli0 tics, :in certain historical an$ socioecono"ic circu"stances, is rea$ily -olitici7e$: (1;814 1*. Bo$ern A"erican society in &eneral, an$ urban America in particular1 $a+e produced #ertile circumstances under ,$ic$ t$e et$nicit" amon% blacks can be readil" politici8ed.!he -ro/le" is that /lack ethnicity cannot /e taken for &rante$ any"ore in A"erica. Black societ" in t$e1;'Os is muc$ more di+erse and $etero%eneous t$an it ,as in t$e 1;POs. Black -eo-le are $iverse in their culture, reli&ion, lan&ua&e, national ori&in, class, an$, "ost of all, in their a--roaches to the fun$a"ental -ro/le"s that /lacks face in A"erica. .t is a--arent, as ?a"es Blackwell -oints out, that blacksin Americacanno lon%er be treated 0as amonolit$ic undi-erentiated mass0 (1;8H4 (22*. T$e real c$allen%e #or 0Black Co,erists0 an$ /lack :-olitical entre-reneurs: now is to %enerate and rein#orce et$nic solidarit" amon% di+erse blacks in America and to construct and reconstruct blacks as a racial!et$nic %roup in order to politici8e it as a po,er %roup.Amon% t$e di+erse sub%roups o# blacks1 one si%ni&cant di+ision is t$at bet,een nati+e blacks andrecent black immi%rants . Cthnic $iversity /etween the" see"s to /e as i"-ortant as the $iversity /etween $iDerent racial &rou-s. Durin& the Church Avenue /oycott, for e9a"-le, the ethnic $iDerences a"on& /lacks were often e"-hasi7e$ /y Cari//ean A"ericans, who were -ursuin& $iDerent interests. T$e" ,ere re%ularl"$eardsa"in% 0All blacks are not t$e same10 andman"e+en s$o,ed contemptto,ard t$e A#rican American bo"cott leaders. 4n%lis$!speakin% Carib bean immi%rants also did not seem to #eel stron% et$nic attac$ments1 as blacks1 to .aitian immi%rants6 some openl" e*pressed et$nic pre:udice a%ainst .aitians. Black di+ersit"1 di-erent interests amon% di+erse black sub%roups1 and po,er relations amon% t$ese sub%roups are important structural elements ,e must consider in our discussion o# t$e process o# black empo,erment.T$e primar" task o# t$e Black Co,er Mo+ement in the 1;3=s ,as to attac$ a sense o# pride to bein% black amon% t$e nati+e blacks. /n t$e 1;'Os1t$e task isnot onl" to en$ance black consciousnessamon% t$e na ti+e blacks but also to o+ercome black di+ersit" b" inculcatin% t$e social meanin% o# blackness in America to ne, black immi%rants such as %aitians, ?a"aicans, or !rini$a$iansrecent i""i&rants ,$o are more likel" to identi#"t$emsel+es b"t$eir $omeland rat$er t$an simpl" as 0blacks .0 As a s-eaker at a /lack -ower rally state$, :Black soli$arity is essential for /lack -ower.:Kurin% t$e bo"cott t$ere ,as a constant e-ort to 0A#ricani8e0 ne, black immi%rants as 0A#rican Americans10 not onl" to conduct an e-ec ti+e bo"cott a%ainst t$e Norean stores but also to ac$ie+e unit" amon% di+erseblacks in order toen$ance t$e political po,ero# blacks in urban America. To reac$ t$ese ends 1 t$e issues ,ere #ormulated1 and t$e con@ict ,as intensi&ed.Pne i"-ortant function of /lack unity rallies an$ "arches for the /oycott was to "ake these new /lack i""i&rants reali7e that, re&ar$less of their -ersonal herita&e, in A"erica they woul$ /e cate&orically treate$ as /lacks. S-eakerafter s-eaker $urin& the rallies stresse$, :,e are one -eo-le.: Pne s-eaker aske$ the crow$, :Can you tell the $iDerence /etween %aitian /lack an$ ?a"aican /lack[: After hearin& fro" the crow$ the e9-ecte$ :no,: he continue$4 :. $ont care if she is a %aitian wo"an. She is /lack. She can /e "y "other.:B" identi#"in% ,it$ t$e alle%ed +ictim and c$aracteri8in% t$e inci dent as a racial one1 t$e bo"cott leaders ,ere raciali8in% ne, et$nic blacks and rede&nin% t$e %roup boundar" in order to e*pand t$eir race! based political po,er. B" emp$asi8in% the sa"e racial distincti+eness rat$er t$an et$nic di-erences1 t$e nati+e blacks attempted to e*pand t$eir %roup boundaries and t$ereb" increase t$eir social bases o# po,er in American societ".!he Boycott as a Strate&y for Black C"-ower"ent4 A Black Dile""aA Norean merc$ant who owne$ a store at Church Avenue an$ whose /usiness was /a$ly hurt /ecause of the /oycott sarcastically asked1 0 Black Co,erQ Fine. But ,$" a%ainst Norean merc$antsQ0/s t$e black bo"cott o# Norean stores an e-ecti+e strate%" #orblack empo,ermentQ T$is is a rele+ant itsel# to be lea+in%=. /n contradistinction to suc$ skepticism1 one mi%$t plan, like Curtis Bay5el$, tosta" a belie+er and t$ere#ore to a+o, ,$at mi%$t be called a kind o# metacritical optimism. Muc$ optimism1black optimism1 is bound up ,it$ ,$at it is to claim blackness and t$eappositional1 runa,a"1 p$onoptic black operations e*pressi+e o# an autopoetic or%ani8ation in ,$ic$ @i%$t and in$abitation modi#" eac$ ot$ert$at $a+e been t$rust upon it.T$e burden o# t$is parado*icall" aleator" %oal is our $istoricit"1 animatin% t$e realit" o# escapein and t$e possibilit" o# escape #rom.AT: AntiBlacknessNorean 4*clusion1CNorean 4*clusion1. T$e narrati+e o# A$ite domination o+er black renders t$e N?24A in+isible E t$is e*clusion is e*actl" ,$at is used to :usti#" colonial domination and mass +iolence a%ainst NoreansNim )==R L Associate Professor of Sociolo&y at Loyola Bary"ount University (>a$ia F. Imperial Citizens: Koreans and Race from Seoul to LA, -. '80';*Norean immi%rantsD in+isibilit" in t$e 3 nited M tates ,as#amiliarto Mout$ Noreans%i+en its counterpart on t$e peninsula. !hat is, not onl" does 3.M. dominance normali8e t$eir in#eriorit"but also t$eir partial presence in t$eir o,n $ome. A#ter a lon% $istor" o# bein% reduced to a Sapanese colon"1 Noreans $ad to endure 3.M. land in#raction1 soldiersD unpunis$ed murders o# Noreans1 t$e N,an%:u Massacre1 se*ual +iolence a%ainst ,omen1 and so on. All o# t$ese acts o# po,er $a+e sent t$e messa%e t$at Noreans are not #ull" present in t$eir countr". Althou&h the 3.M. state $e-icts South @orea as an ally, connotin& equality, its actions $a+e betra"ed a +ie, o# Mout$ Norea as asubordinate pa,n #or American %ainasbodies and land to be e*ploited.+or one, the Fon&san Base an$ US+@ hea$quarters (recall "inisu/ur/s, &olf courses, hotels, etc.* occu-ie$ one of the choicest -ieces of real estate in Seoul while @oreans ha$ to co"-ete for hi&h0-rice$ housin& an$ live in over0crow$e$ con$itions (Boon 1;;'4(1* was tol$ /y several stu$ent activists in 1;;) that co"-le9 infrastructure (e.&., we/s of un$er&roun$ -i-es* nee$e$ to su--ort Fon&san Base has "a$e su/way construction there i"-ossi/le an$ thus "a$e life very $iGcult for "any Seoul resi$ents. .n a$$ition, Mout$ Noreans $a+e lon% been restricted access to t$e militar" bases as ,ell as to t$e campto,ns t$at surround t$em (unless they work there or have s-ecial authori7ation*. Campto,n barsTclubs post si%ns abo+e t$eir entries t$at read: FNorean ationals Cro$ibited4 !his clu/ is re&istere$ accor$in& to the !ouris" Business Law Article )1. Pnly U> forces an$ other forei&ners are -er"itte$ -atrona&e. !he esta/lish"ent oDers ta90free liquor< @orean nationals are therefore $enie$ entry.Chair"an, @orea S-ecial !ourist AssociationK (Boon 1;;'4(1*. For Americans toden" Noreans access toparts o#t$eir o,n countr" certainl" s$ores up #eelin%s o# not bein% #ull" present in oneDs o,n F$ome.GAnot$er mani#estation o# t$e 3.M. stateDs sense o# superiorit",as a lack o# concern #or learnin% or educatin%militar"personnel about Mout$ Norea.T$is lack o# respect in part accounts #orNoreaDs ,eak +isibilit" across t$e %lobe..n fact, A"ericans who ha$ travele$ to South @orea in the wake of the U.S. "ilitaryMs arrival rea$ily a$"itte$ their lon&0ter" i&norance a/out it. ?ournalist #ichar$ Lauter/ach (1;2'412* confesse$, JAn$ like "ost A"ericans, . ha$ the scantiest kin$ of infor"ation a/out @orea an$ "ost of it turne$ out to /e shockin&ly inaccurate.K Another A"erican na"e$ C. Erant Bea$e (1;H14H1* wrote, J. receive$ nine "onths of instruction at two "ilitary schools _ Durin& this entire -erio$ W.X hear$ a sin&le one0hour lecture on @orea.K Kespite t$e 3.M. occupation o# Norea1t$e specter o# in+isibilit",ould continue to $aunt t$e people.A decade since t$e &rst s$ots o# t$e Norean Aar 1 t$ere ,as onl" one pro#essional Norean $istorian at a reputable American uni+ersit" and t$e literature on Norean $istor" in Aestern lan%ua%es ,as almost nil(Palais 1;;H*. .n a$$ition, the LA unrest further enli&htene$ @orean A"ericans a/out their weak reco&nition an$ visi/ility in the Unite$ States. Noreans t$ere#ore na+i%ate t$e parado* o# bein% dominated b" t$e 3nited M tatesFat $omeG"et bein% unkno,n to most o# t$e American publicand t$e ,orld. /n ot$er ,ords1 alt$ou%$ Mout$ Noreans $a+e been toldt$at t$e 3 nited M tatesis t$eir Fall"1G t$e" en:o" no $alo e-ect #rom t$is Fpartners$ipG andsu-er discriminationand in+isibilit"inA$ite!o+er!Black America.T$e parado* onl" aBrmed t$at t$e 3nite$ Mtates, also within its own /oun$aries1 positioned Noreans as subordinates more so t$an Fe$o,e+er #e,= ,$o $a+e been ,illin% to %i+e t$eir li+es to t$e stru%%le #or racial :ustice over that of white folks who "aintain racist thinkin&)3'so"eti"es without even knowin& that they hol$ racist as su"-tions. Since white su-re"acist attitu$es an$ values -er "eate eveiy as-ect of the culture, "ost white folks are unconsciously a/sor/in& the i$eoloM of white su-re"acy. Since they $o not reali7e this sociali7ation is takin& -lace, "any of the" feel that they are not racist. ,hen these feel in&s are roote$ in $enial, the 5rst sta&e of anti0racist stru&&le has to /e /reakin& that $enial. !his is one of the -ri"ary $istinctions /etwen the &eneration of white folks whowere raise$ in the "i$st of white su-re"acist a-arthei$, who wit nesse$ 5rsthan$ the /rutal $ehu"ani7ation of /lack -eo-le an$ who knew that Jracis"K -er"eate$ the cuLture, an$ this conte"-oraly &eneration that either en&a&es in historical a" nesia or $oesnot re"e"/er. Prior to $ese&re&ation, few whites woul$ have /een as arro&antly convince$ that they are not racists as are "ost whites to$ay, so"e of who" never co"e into contact with /lack -eo-le. Durin& civil ri&hts stru&&le, .t was co""only un$erstoo$ that whites seekin& to Live in an anti0racist worl$ "easure$ their -ro&ress an$ their co""it"ent /y their interactions with /lack -eo-le. %ow can a white -erson assu"e he or she is not racist if that assu"-tion has not /een concretely reali7e$ in interaction[ .t was -recisely the astute reco&nition on the -art of free$o" 5&hters workin& for racial 6ustice that anti0racist ha/its of /ein& were /est cultivate$ in situations of interaction that was at the heart of eveiy vision of non0racist co""unity.AT: AntiBlackness4ssentialism1C4ssentialism1. V/Nt$eir assumption o# ontolo%ical blackness essentiali8es blackness as a racial cate%or" subser+ient to ,$itenessAelcome )==4 L co"-letin& his PhD at the sociolo&y $e-art"ent of the City University of >ew Forks Era$uate Center (%. Ale9an$er, :,hite .s #i&ht:4 !he Utili7ation of an ."-ro-er Pntolo&ical Pers-ective in Analyses of Black C9-eriences, ?ournal of African A"erican Stu$ies, Su""er0+all )==2, Vol. 8, >o. 1 b ), --. H;0'(*/n man" o# t$e studies o# blacks1 t$ee*periences o# ,$ites1 not blacks1 are used as t$e backin% #or t$e construction o# t$e ,arrantsTrules t$at are emplo"ed to e+aluate black e*periences, $eli"itin& the :conce-ts an$ relationshi-s that can e9ist: in the /lack co""unity. T$e li#e $istories o# ,$ites are used as t$e standard a%ainst ,$ic$ black e*periences are measured and as t$e %oals to ,$ic$ blacks are encoura%ed to stri+e.T$e emplo"ment o# t$is ontolo%"#allaciousl" limits t$e ran%e o# black a%enc"1 producin% deceit#ul narrati+es ,$ere t$e na+i%ation o# t$e social en+ironment b" blacks is dictated b" eit$er a passi+e response to1 ora passi+e adoption o#1 ,$itescripts. !his ontolo&y erroneously li"its $escri-tions an$ evaluations of /lack e9-eriences, e9clu$in& via/le causal $eter"inants of the socio0econo"ic status of /lacks an$ constructin& restricte$ $escri-tions of /lack a&ency. T$e utili8ation o# ,$iteness to determineandTor e+aluate blackness be%ins ,$en ,$iteness and ,$ite li#e $istories come to represent ,$at is 0ri%$t.0:,hite is ri&ht: is a sarcastic -hrase that was an e9tre"ely -o-ular slur $urin& the Black Power "ove"ent in the "i$01;3=s to the early 1;'=s< the utili7ation of this -hrase re-resents a for" of social critique that takes e9ce-tion to /oth the -rivile&in& of white /io&ra-hies as accurate $escri-tions of history an$ the reconstitution of these histories as a te"-late that /lacks an$ other -eo-le of color shoul$ follow for navi&atin& social environ"ents an$ achievin& -ositive social "o/ility. Part of the -ro"inence of the :white is ri&ht: -ers-ective co"es fro" the nu"erical su-eriority of whites. As a &rou-, whites have /eenin the "a6ority throu&hout the history of the Unite$ States an$ the -ro"inence of the white e9-erience has /een use$ to ar&ue that white e9-eriences shoul$ /e use$ as a social te"-late. .t has /een use$ as such in the works of #o/ert Park (1;(;* an$ Eunnar Byr$al (1;22*, /oth of who" su&&este$ that /y co-yin& the -atterns of whites, /lacks woul$ achieve -ositive social "o/ility. %owever, use of the nu"erical su-eriority of whites to su--ort clai"s a/out the :ri&htness: of white e9-eriences relies on the equation of quantitative $o"inance with qualitative $o"inance an$ the e"-loy"ent of the fallacious ar&u"entu" a$ -o-ulu". T$e actual source o# t$e dominance o# t$e 0,$ite is ri%$t0 perspecti+e lies in t$e d"namics o# po,er. T$e location o# t$e ori%ins o# t$e dominant ideolo%" in po,er relations is conceptuali8ed in t$e ,ork o# Mic$el Foucault >1'RO=1 ,$o t$eori8ed t$at po,er is imbricated ,it$ discourse: ,e "ust "ake allowance for the co"-le9 an$ unsta/le -rocess where/y $iscourse can /e /oth an instru"ent an$ an eDect of -ower, /ut also a hin$rance, a stu"/lin&0/lock, a -oint of resistance an$ a startin& -oint for an o--osin& strate&y. Discourse trans"its an$ -ro$uces -ower< it reinforces it, /ut also un$er"ines an$ e9-oses it, ren$ers it fra&ile an$ "akes it -ossi/le to thwart it (-. 1=1*. Ne" to t$e deplo"ment o# discourses is an underl"in% strate%". As suc$1t$e prominence o# t$e 0,$ite is ri%$t0 perspecti+e can be traced to attempts to create an 0order10 or a way of thinkin&. +oucaults theoretical lens su--orts the hy-othesis that the pri+ile%in% o# ,$ite e*periences and t$e use o# t$ese e*periences as an ontolo%ical #rame,ork #or t$e anal"ses o# black e*periences is an e-ect o# po,er imbalances.H. Turns Case E essentialism makes true insurrection impossible e,man 9, Post$octoral fellow4University of ,estern Australia, con$uctin& research in the area of conte"-orary -olitical an$ social thou&h, )==((Saul, JStirner an$ +oucault,K Post"o$ern Culture*!he i$ea of trans&ressin& an$ reinventin& the self00of freein& the self fro" 59e$ an$ essential i$entities00is also a central the"e in Stirners thinkin&. As we have seen, Stirner shows that the notion of hu"an essence is an o--ressive 5ction $erive$ fro" an inverte$ Christian i$ealis" that tyranni7es the in$ivi$ual an$ is linke$ with various for"s of -olitical $o"ination. Stirner $escri/es a -rocess of su/6ecti5cation which is very si"ilar to +oucaults4rat$er t$an po,er operatin% as do,n,ard repression 1 it rules t$rou%$ t$e sub:ecti&cation o# t$e indi+idual, /y $e5nin& hi" accor$in& to an essential i$entity. As Stirner says4 :t$eMtate betra"s its enmit" to me b" demandin% t$at / be a man . . . it i"-oses /ein& a "an u-on "e as a $uty: (131*. %u"an essence i"-oses a series of 59e$ "oral an$ rational i$eas on the in$ivi$ual, which are not of his creation an$ which curtail his autono"y. /t is precisel" t$is notion o# dut", of "oral o/li&ation00the sa"e sense of $uty that is the /asis of the cate&orical i"-erative00t$atMtirner &nds oppressi+e.+or Stirner, then, t$e indi+idual must #ree $im! or $ersel# #rom these o--ressive i$eas an$ o/li&ations /y 5rst freein& hi"self fro" essence!!#romthe essential identit"that is i"-ose$ on hi". +ree$o" involves, then, a trans&ression of essence,a trans&ression of the self. But what for" shoul$ this trans&ression take[ Like +oucault, Stirner is sus-icious of the lan&ua&e of li/eration an$ revolution00it is /ase$ on a notion of an essential self that su--ose$ly throws oD the chains of e9ternal re-ression. +or Stirner, it is -recisely this notion of hu"an essence that is itself o--ressive. !herefore, $iDerent strate&ies of free$o" are calle$ for00ones that a/an$on the hu"anist -ro6ect of li/eration an$ seek, rather, to recon5&ure the su/6ect in new an$ non0essentialist ways. !o this en$, Stirner calls for an insurrection42e+olution and insurrection must not be looked upon as s"non"mous. T$e #ormer consists in an o+erturnin% o# conditions, of the esta/lishe$ con$ition or status, the state or society, an$ is accor$in&ly a -olitical or social act< t$e latter $as indeed #or its una+oidable conseCeter .udson 191 Colitical Mtudies Kepartment1 3ni+ersit" o# t$e Ait,atersrand1 So$annesbur% 1 Mout$ A#rica1 $as been on t$e editorial board o# t$e A#rica Cerspecti+e: T$e Mout$ A#rican Sournal o# Mociolo%" and T$eoria: A Sournal o# Colitical and Mocial T$eor" and Trans#ormation1 and is a member o# t$e So$annesbur% Aorks$op in T$eor" and Criticism1 T$e state and t$e colonial unconscious1 Mocial K"namics: A :ournal o# A#rican studies1 HO19=!hus the self0sa"eIother $istinction is necessary for the -ossi/ility of i$entity itself. T$ere al,a"s $as to e*ist an outside, which is also insi$e, to t$e e*tent it is desi%nated as t$e impossibilit" #rom ,$ic$ t$e possibilit" o# t$e e*istence o# t$e sub:ect deri+es its rule (Ba$iou )==;, ))=*. But alt$ou%$ t$e e*cluded place ,$ic$ isnDt e*cluded inso#ar as it is necessar" #or t$e +er" possibilit" o# inclusion and identit" ma" be uni+ersal ("ay /e consi$ere$ Jontolo&icalK*, its content >,$at &lls it= E as ,ell as t$e mode o# t$is &llin% and its reproduction L are contin%ent. .n other wor$s, the "eanin& of t$e si%ni&er o# e*clusion isnot determined once and #or all: the -lace of t$e place o#e*clusion1 o# deat$ isitsel# o+er!determined 1 i.e. t$e +er" #rame,ork #ordecidin%t$e ot$er and t$e same1e*clusion andinclusion1 isno,$ereen%ra+ed in ontolo%ical stone but is political and ne+er terminall" settled. Put $iDerently, t$e Fcur+ature o# intersub:ecti+e spaceG (Critchley )==', 31* an$ thus, t$e s-eci5c modes o# the Jotherin&K of F ot$ernessG are no,$ere decided in ad+ance >asa certainontolo%ical #atalism mi%$t $a+eit* (seeAilderson )==8*.T$e social does not $a+e to be di+ided into ,$ite and black , an$ t$e meanin% o# t$ese si%ni&ers is ne+er necessar" L because t$e" are si%ni&ers.!o /e sure, colonialism institutes a n ontolo%icaldi+ision, in that whites e9ist in a way /arre$ to /lacks L who are not. But t$isontolo%ical relation isreall" on t$e side o# t$e onticL that is, of all contin%entl" constructed identities1 rat$er t$ant$e ontolo%" o# t$e social ,$ic$ re#ers to t$eultimate un&*it" 1t$e indeterminac" or lack o# t$e social. .n this sense, then, the white "an $oesnMt e9ist, the /lack "an $oesnMt e9ist (+anon 1;38, 13H*< an$ neither $oes the colonial sy"/olic itself, inclu$in& its "ost inti"atestructurin& relations L di+ision is constituti+e o# t$e social1 not t$e colonial di+ision. FA$itenessG ma" ,ell be+er"deepl" sedimentin modernit" itself, /ut res-ect for the Jontolo&ical $iDerenceK (see %ei$e&&er 1;3), )3< ,atts )=11, )';* shows u- its ontolo&ical status as ontic. /t ma" be so deepl" sedimented t$at it becomes diBcult e+en toidenti#" t$e +er" possibilit" o# t$e separation o# ,$iteness #rom the very -ossi/ility of order1 but #rom t$is it does not #ollo, t$at t$e F+oidG o# Fblack bein%G #unctions as t$e ultimate substance, the transcendental si%ni&ed on,$ic$ all possible #orms o# socialit"are sai$ torest. A$at %ets lost here, then, ist$especi&cit" o# colonialism, of its constitutive a9is, its F ontolo%icalG di-erential.A crucial feature of the colonial sy"/olic is that the real is not screene$ oD /y the i"a&inary in the way it is un$er ca-italis". At the -lace of the colonise$, t$e s"mbolic and t$e ima%inar" %i+e ,a" because non!identit" (the real of the social* isimmediatel" inscribed in t$e Fli+ed e*perienceG (vNcu* o# t$e colonised sub:ect. !he colonise$ is Jtraversin& the fantasyK (Oi7ek )==3a, 2=L3=* all the ti"e< the voi$ of the ver/ Jto /eK is the very content of his inter-ellation. T$e colonised is, in other wor$s, t$e sub:ect o# an*iet" #or ,$om t$e s"mbolic and t$e ima%inar" ne+er ,ork, who is left stran$e$ /y his very inter-ellation.2 JFi*edG into Fnon!&*it"1G $e is eternall" suspended bet,een FelementG and FmomentGH L he is ,$ere t$e colonial s"mbolic #alters in t$e production o# meanin% and is t$us t$e point o# entr" o# t$e real into t$e te*ture itsel# o# colonialism. Be this as it "ay, ,$iteness and blackness are (sustained b"* determinate andcontin%ent practices o# si%ni&cation6 t$e Fstructurin% relationG of colonialis" thus itself comprises a knot o# si%ni&cations,$ic$1 no matter $o, ti%$t1 can al,a"s be undone.Anti!colonialL i.e., anti!F,$iteG L modes o# stru%%leare not (6ust* J-sychicK 3 /ut in+ol+et$e F reacti+ation G (or J$e0se$i"entationK*' o# colonial ob:ecti+it"itsel#. >o "atter how se$i"ente$ (or &lo/al*, colonial o/6ectivity is not ontolo&ically i""une to anta&onis". DiDerentiality, as Oi7ek insists (see Oi7ek )=1), cha-ter 11, ''1 n28*, i""anently entails anta&onis" in that $iDerentiality /oth "akes -ossi/le the e9istence of any i$entity whatsoever an$ at the sa"e ti"e L /ecause it is the -resence of one o/6ect in another L un$er"ines any i$entity ever /ein& (fully* itself. Cach ele"ent in a $iDerential relation is the con$ition of -ossi/ility an$ the con$ition of i"-ossi/ility of each other. .t is this $i"ension of anta&onis" that the Baster Si&ni5er covers over transfor"in& its outsi$e (Pther* into an ele"ent of itself, re$ucin& it to a con$ition of its -ossi/ility.8 All s"mbolisation produces an ineradicablee*cesso+er itsel#1 somet$in%it canDt totaliseor make sense o#1 where its -ro$uction of "eanin& falters. T$is is its internal li"it -oint, its real4; an errant Jo/6ectK t$at $as no place o# its o,n1 isnDt reco%nised in t$ecate%ories o#t$e s"stem but is produced b" itE its Fpart o# no partG or Fob:ect small a.G1= Correlative to this o/6ect JaK is the su/6ect Jstricto sensuK L i.e., as the e"-ty su/6ect of the si&ni5er without an i$entity that -ins it $own.11 T$at is t$e sub:ect o# anta%onism in con#rontation ,it$ t$e real o# t$e social1 as distinct #rom Fsub:ectG position based on a determinate identit".**/mpact Ve+el**/mpactTurns CaseTurns Case/mpact Framin%T$e in+ocation o# t$eir caseDs impact #ramin% perpetuates t$e nati+ist racism a%ainst non!blacks or non!,$itesN/M 1''' L ?.D., Fale Law< Fale %u"an #i&hts b Develo-"ent Law ?ournal< scholarshi- focuses on cri"inal law theory an$ race an$ the law (@i", ?anine Foun&, JAre Asians /lack[ !he Asian0A"erican civil ri&hts a&en$a an$ the conte"-orary si&ni5cance of the /lackIwhite -ara$i&"K htt-4IIwww.thefreeli/rary.co"IArecAsiansc/lackd(+c!hecAsian0A"ericanccivilcri&htsca&en$acan$cthe...0a=HH)H1'3=Anot$er notable aspecto# t$e blackT,$ite paradi%mis t$e +italit" o# its +ocabular" in race discourse. T$e e*c$an%e /etween the ?u$&e an$ Steve Biko, as transcri/e$ in Donal$ ,oo$ss Biko (an$ quote$ in the e-i&ra-h to Part ...*, illustrates t$e $ermeneutics o# t$e ,ords 0black0 and 0,$ite .0 .n atte"-tin& to un$erstan$ the way in which Biko uses the wor$ :/lack,: the ?u$&e su&&ests that :/lack: is an inaccurate $escri-tion of the -hysical a--earance of Africans.(''* Bikos re-ly $e"onstrates that, in fact, the wor$s :/lack: an$ :white: are -re&nant withne&ative an$ -ositive "eanin&s, res-ectively.('8* Biko asserts that his e"/race of the wor$ :/lack: is ai"e$ at the /lack "an so that the wor$ "ay /e :elevateW$X ... to a -osition where we can look u-on ourselves -ositively< /ecause even if we WBlacksX choose to /e calle$ e/rown, there will still /e reference to e/lacks in an inferior sense in literature an$ in s-eeches /y white racists in our society.:(';* T Bikos res-onse reveals three crucial insi&hts. !he5rst is that 0black0 and 0,$ite0 $a+e de+eloped in opposition to eac$ ot$er in our lan%ua%e. !his is not li"ite$ to -olitical or racist lan&ua&e< as Biko o/serve$, it e9ists in literary lan&ua&e. C9a"-les a/oun$4 Pne of the "ore o/vious woul$ /e ?ose-h Conra$s %eart of Darkness, where :/lack: stan$s for the sinister an$ unknowa/le.(8=* Settin& asi$e whatever -olitical views Conra$ "i&ht have ha$, his novella coul$ /e inter-rete$ as the story of a "an whose $escent into "a$ness (an$ 5nally $eath* is cause$ /y his li"inal racial -osition in the 6un&les of the Con&o. /n t$is sense1t$e pairin%o# 0black0 and 0,$ite0 is almost poetic6 its apparent simplicit" is1in #act1 so e*pressi+e o#di-erence and opposition t$at it approac$es t$e +isual. T !he secon$ insi&ht is that the /lackIwhite -ara$i&" is not one that we can esca-e throu&h our own will. !his in$icates not only that we are race$ /ut also that we are race$ in s-eci5c ter"s, whether those ter"s /e :/lack: an$ :white: or :Black: an$ :,hite.: !his has -articular a--lica/ility to Asian A"ericans $e"an$in& a thir$ cate&ory (-erha-s :yellow:* that woul$ ca-ture their sense of $iDerence fro" the /lack an$ the white. As Steve Biko o/serve$, we can call ourselves :/rown: or :yellow: until we are /lue in the face, /ut it is unlikely that those ter"s will /e a$o-te$ or will $is-lace the voca/ulary of the /lackIwhite -ara$i&" successfully.(81* T Boreover, it is naive to assu"e that we can fully control the content of the wor$s that we choose. !his lea$s to Bikos thir$ insi&ht4 2at$er t$an attemptin% to create a parallel racial +ocabular"1 it ma" be more e-ecti+e to undermine t$e content o# t$e ,ords ,$ite racism $as c$osen. !his is a tactic that not only contains the ele"ent of sur-rise, /ut also e9-lo$es the assu"-tions e"/e$$e$ in the current, $o"inant voca/ulary of race. Such e9-losions ha--en when Asians in Cn&lan$ call the"selves :/lack.:(8)* !hey also ha--en when Asians, ,hites, an$ "ultiracials in South Africa call the"selves :/lack.:(8(* !his tactic "ay also e9-lain why the ter" :African A"erican: is fa$in& out of $iscourse4 :Black: inclu$es ,est .n$ians an$ Busli" Blacks who $o not 5t neatly un$er the cate&ory of :African A"erican: /ut share si"ilar e9-eriences an$ feelin&s of soli$arity.(82* T +. !he Su/versive Di"ension T T$e discussion on t$elin%uistic dimensiono# t$e blackT,$ite paradi%m $ints at t$eric$ possibilit" o# sub+ersion . Mub+ersion is1 in m" +ie,1 t$e onl" ,a" t$at raciali8ation ,ill pro%ress be"ond t$e blackT,$ite paradi%m to a discourse t$at ,ill not onl" be more inclusi+e 1 but also more rational. Cach of the $iDerent $i"ensions . have $iscusse$ in this >ote contains this ele"ent of su/version. T !he $escri-tive $i"ension of the -ara$i&" serves as the foun$ation for the -rocess of su/version. Scholars such as P"i, ,inant, %aney Lo-e7, an$ ,u have eloquently ar&ue$ that race is a social an$ le&al construction, an$ that race %roups in t$e 3nited Mtates$a+e been de&ned in relation to blackness and ,$iteness. T$isprocess $as been most e+ident #or Asian Americans1 ,$ose racial status $as s$i#ted #rom basicall"!0 black0 to almost!0 ,$ite0o+er time. T$eblackT,$ite paradi%m determines social status and denies #ree sel#!de&nition 6 t$isaspect o# t$e paradi%mis t$e most insidious because it creates a sel#!perpetuatin% race $ierarc$"in ,$ic$ t$e %oal is to maintain t$e status onetheless, outsider raciali8ation -erha-s does not ac$ie+e a per#ect 0&t0 ,it$ t$eblackT,$ite paradi%m because despite t$eoretical consistenc" 1 t$e application o# t$e blackT,$ite paradi%m to t$e #orei%ner a*is aspect o# outsider raciali8ation in t$e Asian American conte*t remains so"ewhat counterintuiti+e. T B. .te"s on the Asian0A"erican Civil #i&hts A&en$a T !he Asian0A"erican civil ri&hts a&en$a enco"-asses issues such as i""i&ration, welfare, aGr"ative action, e$ucation, an$ suDra&e. Althou&h so"e of these issues (e$ucation, suDra&e* coinci$e with those of the tra$itionalcivil ri&hts "ove"ent, others (aGr"ative action, i""i&ration* -resent newer challen&es to civil ri&hts activists. T 1. AGr"ative Action an$ the Bo$el0Binority Byth T Asian Americans pla" a stran%e and contorted role in t$e aBrmati+e action debate. T$ose ,$o ,ould eliminate aBrmati+e action use t$e Asian!American population toe*empli#" $o, aBrmati+e action disad+anta%es non!A$ites as ,ell as A$ites. !his is es-ecially true for aGr"ative action in hi&her e$ucation, where so"e Asian A"ericans have /een tol$00an$ have co"e to /elieve00that the -ro&ra" hurts Asian0A"erican stu$ents chances of atten$in& certain universities. >ewt Ein&richs warnin& that :Asian A"ericans are facin& a very real $an&er of /ein& $iscri"inate$ a&ainst: has /een hee$e$ /y "any Asian A"ericans as evi$ence$ in their votin& -attern on this issue.(1=3* T Asian!American sc$olars $a+e e*pressed concerns about t$e deplo"ment o# Asian Americans as t$e 0e*ample t$at de#eats aBrmati+e action.:(1='* +rank ,u vi&orously attacks the notion that /annin& aGr"ative action woul$ actually hel- Asian A"ericans4T T$e real risk to Asian Americans is t$at t$e" ,ill be sAsians are success#ul and t$ere#ore not discriminated a%ainst=. T T$e model!minorit" m"t$ can be #ruit#ull" anal"8ed ,it$in t$e#rame,ork o# t$e blackT,$ite paradi%m. As . have ar&ue$ a/ove, situatin% Asian Americans as a bu-er bet,een black and ,$ite does not position Asian Americans outside o# t$e blackT,$ite paradi%m1 but rat$er in a +ulnerable place ,$ere t$e" can be manipulated to ser+e t$e interests o# t$e dominant %roup. !his is "ost likely what occurre$ in California when a lar&e -ercenta&e of Asian A"ericans vote$ to eli"inate aGr"ative action -ro&ra"s in the controversial Civil #i&hts .nitiative of 1;;3. T$e m"t$also ultimatel" leads to #urt$er subordinationo# Asian Americans1 especiall" b" t$,artin% political mobili8ation 1 not onl" ,it$in t$e Asian!American population1 but alsoacross racial lines. !he /lackIwhite -ara$i&" can/e use$ to hel- $econstruct the "yth an$ clarify the su/or$inate$ -osition of Asian A"ericans in the race hierarchy.Pnly then can Asian A"ericans "ake infor"e$ -olitical $ecisions an$ "eanin&fully -ursue a civil ri&hts a&en$a. T ). .""i&ration T !he question of i""i&ration is an es-ecially volatile issue within the Asian A"erican co""unity. Althou&h Ea/riel Chin has ar&ue$ that the i""i&ration a"en$"ents of 1;3H equali7e$ i""i&ration o--ortunities for Asians as co"-are$ with i""i&rants fro" the ,estern he"is-here,(11=* the resultin& visi/le increase in the nu"/er of i""i&rants in the Unite$ States has -reci-itate$ a /acklash fro" ,hite A"ericans who seek to -reserve An&lo0A"erican :culture.:(111* De"o&ra-hic an9iety has increase$ in the face of a &rowin& nu"/er of -eo-le of color. Accor$in& to a -oll re-orte$ in the >ew Fork !i"es, ,hite A"ericans /elieve that the -o-ulation of Blacks, Asians, an$ Latinos in the Unite$ States is over twice as lar&e (H=.1d* as it actually is ()2.2d*.(11)* T Kemo%rap$ic an*iet" amon% A$ite Americans can be relie+ed in t,o possible ,a"s: T$e &rst is to restrict immi%ration o# people o# color1 and t$e second is to oppress t$ose people o# color ,$o are alread" in t$e countr".(11(* Althou&h /oth reactions ste" fro" racis", they are $istinct -heno"ena. !herefore, when Asian A"ericans s-eak of :i""i&ration,: a $istinction "ust /e "a$e /etween i""i&ration ri&hts an$ i""i&rants ri&hts.(112* !he treat"ent of i""i&rants -resents so"e serious civil ri&hts issues /ecause un$er equal -rotection $octrine, the recent laws that aDect i""i&rants"ay violate the Constitution.(11H* Pne e9a"-le of such laws is the welfare refor" law of 1;;3, which $enies "any for"s of fe$eral assistance to le&al i""i&rants an$ their chil$ren.(113* Another e9a"-le is Pro-osition 18' in California,(11'* a "easure that $enies -u/lic e$ucation an$ all non0e"er&ency "e$ical care to un$ocu"ente$ aliens. T Pro-osition 18' -rovi$es fertile &roun$ for analysis usin& the /lackIwhite -ara$i&". An initiative that was quite o/viously $irecte$ a&ainst ille&al i""i&rants fro" Be9ico, Pro-osition 18' -reye$ u-on nativist senti"ents. !hus, "uch of the rhetoric of Pro-osition 18' focuse$ on the i$ea that ille&al i""i&rants were forei&ners takin& A"erican 6o/s an$ /ene5ts, entitle"ents /elon&in& to le&al resi$ents only.(118* Accor$in& to ?ohn Park4T A"on& -eo-leof color, the resent"ent towar$ un$ocu"ente$ i""i&rants wasT es-ecially acute. @evin #oss, an .n&lewoo$ $e-uty $istrict attorney an$T -olitical action chair"an of the >AACP cha-ter of Los An&eles, note$ thatT :WfXorty -ercent of African A"erican youth are une"-loye$. ,hen theT assertion is "a$e that ille&al i""i&rants $o the 6o/s others woul$nt $o inT the 5rst -lace, the /lack co""unity is oDen$e$.:(11;*T !his reaction was not li"ite$ to African A"ericans< "any Asian A"ericans an$ Latinos vote$ in su--ort of Pro-osition 18'.(1)=* !he strate&y /ehin$ Pro-osition 18' successfully -ositione$ le&al resi$ents as :white: relative to ille&al i""i&rants /ecause le&al resi$ents -ossesse$ the ri&hts to work, to &o to school, an$ to receive "e$ical care. T Pro-osition 18' shoul$ also /e un$erstoo$ as a case of outsi$er raciali7ation a&ainst "ore than 6ust the ille&al i""i&rant co""unity in California, althou&h that co""unity is certainly the laws -ri"ary tar&et. !he :9eno-ho/ic cli"ate: create$ /y Pro-osition 18' also aDects entire Latino an$ Asian0A"erican co""unities /ecause of its ten$ency for over0inclusiveness. As "any civil ri&hts workers an$ scholars have alrea$y note$, one "a6or -ro/le" with Pro-osition 18' is its :uninten$e$: eDects on all -eo-le of color who look or soun$ forei&n.(1)1* T But e9tre"ist -ro-a&an$a in su--ort of the Pro-osition also "akes it clear that the issue was not li"ite$ to ille&al i""i&ration /ut intertwine$ with race an$ white su-re"acy4T !wo $ays /efore the >ove"/er 1;;2 elections ... Syers were $istri/ute$ ...T $e-ictin& an i"a&e of a "achine &un 5rin& /ullets at a $ark skinne$ "an.T !he Syer rea$s4 :%ows this for a new slo&an for the U.S. Bor$er Patrol[T e.f it aint white ,AS!C .!A #e"e"/er, its sto- the Bu$sli$e ... orT $rownA 18' FesA ,e nee$ a real /or$er. +irst we &et the s-ics, then theT &ooks, an$ at last we &et the ni&&ers. !heyre all &oin& ho"e.:(1))*T !here can har$ly /e a clearer re-resentationof the active $ichoto"y that infor"s race $iscourse to$ay. T V.. CP>CLUS.P> T T$e increasin% +isibilit" o# people o#color and t$e muc$!discussed demo%rap$ic predictions #or t$e ne*t millenium $a+e led to increased debate about race1 la,1 and resources in t$e 3nite$ Mtates. An$ it is -ro/a/ly safe to conclu$e that the call for a "ore co"-le9 theory of race relations00one that /etter incor-orates various -eo-le of color00has /een hee$e$ /y the "ainstrea". !his is "ost lately e9e"-li5e$ /y Presi$ent Clintons raceinitiative. T !his >ote, $o,e+er, has sou&ht to $e"onstrate that t$e blackT,$ite paradi%m is a comple* theory of race relations and s$ould be reco%ni8ed as suc$. An un$erstan$in& of the -ara$i&"s si9 $i"ensions (an$ there "ay /e "ore* reveals its ca-acity /oth to conte9tuali7e race $iscourse an$ to e9-ress a clear antisu/or$ination a&en$a. Boreover, t$e paradi%m)s persistence in race relations and discourse attests to its continuin% rele+ance and %ro,in% comple*it". Asian0A"erican sc$olars must resist t$e temptation to o+ersimpli#" or underestimatet$e paradi%m)s abilit" to perpetuate and re&ne itsel# b" erasin% $istories1 manipulatin% racial status1 and di+idin% political alliances. .n$ee$, an alternati+e t$eor" cannot emer%eunless people o# color dismantle t$e current or%ani8ation and +ocabular" o# race1 ,$ic$ $a+e been articulated t$rou%$ t$e blackT,$ite paradi%m./mpactTurnActi+ismTurnBallot Free8es Acti+ismT$eir marketin% o# antiblack resistance #or t$e ballot #ree8es acti+ismSames 9 >So"1 C$.d1 Cro#essor o# A#ricana Mtudies Y Bro,n FAcademia1 acti+ism1 and imprisoned intellectuals.G $ttp:TT,,,.t$e#reelibrar".comTAcademia1Zacti+ism1ZandZimprisonedZintellectuals.!aO1999PROO(=!hus, /eyon$ confrontin& the social crises an$ "ilitary an$ i$eolo&ical wars enacte$ /y the state, we are $istur/e$, $esta/ili7e$, an$ therefore challen&e$ /y the co""o$i5cation of our own e$ucational sites an$ -olitical "ove"ents. T$e marketplace !!as t$e dominant metap$or and construct!!in@uences our consciousness andre%ulates our li+es to s$ape bot$ academia and acti+ism.Con#ormit" and compliance1rebellion and resistance1 are o#ten c$anneled t$rou%$ andstructured b" markets t$at turn intellect and action into ob:ects #or trade and barter in competitionforstatus an$ acquisition, while "akin& our i$eals (free$o" an$ 6ustice* an$ their re-resentatives (-risoners of resistance* into co""o$ities. !hrou&h /ooks, vi$eos, an$ CDs, political representations are purc$ased and circulated ,it$ t$e intent o# creatin% %reater demand not onl" #or t$e 0product10 but also #or social :ustice, release ca"-ai&ns, o--osition to e9-an$in& -olice an$ "ilitary -owers, an$ e9ecutions an$ state violence. For t$e imprisoned1 t$e possibilit" o# release1 or at least remembrance1 miti%ates t$eir social deat$ in prison (or -hysical $eath, as in the cases of BPVCs Berle Africa an$ for"er Black Panther Al/ert >uh ,ashin&ton*. Aca$e"ics an$ activists use the "arket to hi&hli&ht the hu"an ri&hts a/uses an$ con$itions of the i"-risone$, the ).H "illion -eo-le locke$ in U.S. -enal institutions, an$ the -er-etuation of torture an$ slavery throu&h the !hirteenth A"en$"ent. T$e iron" is t$atcommodi&cation isanot$er #orm o#containment . Althou&h %arlow a$vocates t$e 0acti+ist counterapproac$0 to consu"-tion, not all activis" -rovi$es an alternative. So"e of it re!inscribes t$e competition1 opportunism1 disciplinar" mec$anisms1 and demands #or institutional lo"alt" t$at c$aracteri8e t$e marketplace. Activis" or activists, like aca$e"ia an$ aca$e"ics, have their own for"s of co""erce. At t$eir ,eakest and most problematic points1 t$e" s$are1 in t$eir respecti+e sites1 careerism1 appropriation1 and t$e assertion o# 0aut$oritati+e0 +oices. +or instance, t$e 0political prisoner!as!icon0 can be deplo"ed to minimi8e or silence e*ternal and internal critiCro#essor o# .istor" and Kirector o# t$e MA Cro%ram in .istor" at Ari%$t Mtate 3ni+ersit" FComparin% Failed 2e+olutionsG Ari%$t Mtate 3ni+ersit". Vatin American 2esearc$ 2e+ie, 41.H >HOOP= HPO!HPR=T$e o+er,$elmin% ma:orit" o# re+olutionar" mo+ementsin t$e post,ar era$a+e been crus$ed b" t$e Mtate. 4mplo"in%an e+er!increasin% arsenal o# sop$isticated sur+eillance and intelli%ence tec$nolo%"1 militar" and securit" apparatuses $a+e easil" out%unned and dismantled insur%encies in nearl" all urban settin%s. #ural insur&encies have -roven "ore resilient, /ut since the "i$01;8=s even these have &reatly wane$. T$e resource cur+e for the -owers0that0/e $as been particularl" strikin% since t$e early 1;ROs, ,$en $e#t" increases in #undin% under 2onald 2ea%an $elped brin% on!line a $ost o# ne, tec$nolo%ies di%ital!based1 satellite!inter#aced sur+eillance s"stems1 pat$!breakin% communications interception1 and $i%$l" pro&cient ni%$t!+ision and detectione$ttp:TT,eb.o+erland.or%.auTHO1OT1HTt$e!communist!puritan!it!is!%ood!to!die!#or!t$e!re+olutionTX Mic$ael Brull blo%s on /srael1 Calestine1 and media discussion o# related issues on t$e /ndependent Australian Se,is$ [oices ,ebsite. .e no, $as a blo% ,$ere $e ,ill comment on ot$er matters at $ttp:TTmic$aelbrull.,ordpress.comT= C$e $i$ not a--reciate what he saw as the /ureaucratic -rivile&es he encountere$ in his visits to the Soviet Union. %e ,as "ore impressed b"Baoist China, es-ecially their un$erstan$in& of t$e need #or Jsacri&ceD, which was Rfun$a"ental to a co""unist e$ucationM (- H'2*. ,hat sort of sacri5ce $oes he "ean[ Cssentially, it "eant servin& the new state with the sa"e fervour as Che. Che thou&ht that Re+en i# the Cu/ans shoul$ $isa--ear fro" the face of the earth /ecause an atomic ,ar is unleas$ed in their na"es ... t$e" ,ould #eelcompletel" $app" and #ul&lledD kno,in% t$e triump$ o# t$e re+olution. (- 2HH* An$erson $oes not note any -olls on which this view is /ase$. .t see"s to "e -erha-s a little unlikely that "illions of -eo-le woul$ /e -lease$ to /e kille$ for the sake of his &lorious revolution. Cven thou&h Cu/a /rou&ht the worl$ closer to nuclear anni$ilation than at any other -oint in history, Che welco"e$ the -ros-ect4 R!housan$s of -eo-le will $ie everywhere, /ut the res-onsi/ility will /e theirs Wthe i"-erialistsX,an$ their -eo-le will also suDer ... But that s$ould not bot$er us.M Cu/ans woul$ R5&ht to the last "an, to the last wo"an, to the last hu"an /ein& ca-a/le of hol$in& a &unM. (- H'1* A$ic$ brin%s us to C$eDs underl"in% +alues. Pne of CheMs "ost fa"ous quotes is that Rthe true revolutionary is &ui$e$ /y a &reat feelin& of loveM. Fet it "ay /e "orefair to say that CheMs Rtrue revolutionaryM is &ui$e$ /y so"ethin& a little $iDerent. An$erson i$enti5es a R-ri"e ele"entM of the qualities Che thou&ht necessary for the future &reat /attle a&ainst i"-erialis"4 Ra relentless $atred o# t$e enem"1 i"-ellin& us a/ove an$ /eyon$ the natural li"itations that "an is heir to, an$ transfor"in& hi" into an eDective, violent, se$uctive an$ col$ killin& "achine. Pur sol$iers "ust /e thus4 a -eo-le without hatre$ cannot vanquish a /rutal ene"y.M (- 38'* CheMs central "otivation in life a--ears not to have /een love or co"-assion. .t was, a/ove all, hatre$ L hatre$ of Rthe &reat ene"y of "ankin$4 the Unite$ States of A"erica.M (- 388* Fears of 5&htin& &uerrilla warfare a&ainst Rthe &reat ene"yM hel-e$ "ake Che the col$, ruthless killin& "achine that he consi$ere$ i$eal. T$e result was that a#ter C$e o+ert$re, a cruel dictators$ip1 $e $elped install a ne, one. Shortly after the revolution, Castro /e&an closin&$own $issentin& news-a-ers (-- 2((L2, 2H1*. Che ha$ o-enly o--ose$ a free -ress for years. ,hen witnessin& the overthrow of $e"ocracy in Euate"ala /y the US, he e9-laine$ why he $i$nMt su--ort $e"ocracy either4 R!his is a country where one can e9-an$ oneMs lun&s an$ 5ll the" with $e"ocracy. !here are $ailies here run /y Unite$ +ruit, an$ if . were Ar/en7 .M$ close the" $own in 5ve "inutes, /ecause theyMre sha"eful an$ yet they say whatever they wantM (- 1)'*. ."a&ine the horror of livin& in a country where one /reathes in $e"ocracyA Che, however, took char&e of the trials of alle&e$ counter0revolutionaries. !he s-ectacle of these -u/lic trials an$ e9ecutions overwhel"in&ly a--alle$ all in$e-en$ent witnesses an$ forei&n 6ournalists (- (')*. But Che was a killin& "achine, $eaf to the -leas for co"-assion, or -roce$ural fairness. %e e9-laine$ that Rrevolutions are u&ly /ut necessary, an$ -art ofthe revolutionary -rocess is 6ustice at the service of future 6ustice.M (- 2(3* .f :udicial murder is u&ly, at least we can -resu"e it was #or a %reater cause4 the Maoist t"rann" that Che thou&ht i$eal. !his shoul$ /e stresse$4 Che was not &ui$e$ /y love, an$ he $oes not see" to have thou&ht that a &oal like tryin& to "ake the worl$ ha--ier woul$ have /een worthwhile, $es-ite his youthful rea$in& of the social -hiloso-hy of Bertran$ #ussell. .t is also a sha"e he $i$ not rea$ #ussellMs critique of the Bolsheviks. Pne of #ussellMs "any -ertinent insi&hts was his o/servation that Rthe $opes ,$ic$ inspire Communism are, in the "ain, as a$"ira/le as those instille$ /y the Ser"on on the Bount, /ut they are $eldas #anaticall", an$ are likel" to do as muc$ $arm. ... W+Xro" "en who are "ore an9ious to in6ure o--onents than to /ene5t the worl$ at lar&e no &reat &oo$ is to /e e9-ecte$.M C$uar$o Ealeano $escri/e$ Che as Rthe "ost -uritanical of the ,estern revolutionary lea$ersM (- H'H*. !his is e"inently fair. An$erson writes that CheMs Rworkweek laste$ fro" Bon$ay throu&h Satur$ay, inclu$in& ni&hts, an$ on Sun$ay "ornin&s he went oD to $o voluntary la/our. Sun$ay afternoons were all he s-are$ for his fa"ily.M (- H(3* ,hile so"e "ay a$"ire Che for how har$ he worke$, he a--arently thou&ht the i$eal society woul$ /e "otivate$ /y the sa"e reli&ious fervour4 constant, 6oyless sacri5ce for the revolution. %e e9-laine$ that after the revolution, the >ew Ban R/eco"es ha--y to feel hi"self a co& in the wheel ... creatin& a suGcient quantity of consu"er &oo$s for the entire -o-ulationM. #ussell, on the other han$, con$e"ne$ the Rsacri5ce of the in$ivi$ual to the "achine that is the fun$a"ental evilM of ca-italis". C""a Eol$"an likewise co"-laine$ of the RfatalM cri"e of ca-italis", Rturnin& the -ro$ucer into a "ere -article of a "achine, with less will an$ $ecision than his "aster of steel an$ ironM. Pne recalls the sayin& that un$er ca-italis" "an e9-loits"an, /ut un$er co""unis", itMs the co"-lete o--osite. CheMs conte"-t for "ere -eo-le "anifeste$ itself in his cruelty towar$s the -eo-le he knew, an$ also to those he $i$nMt. Visitin& a literacy -ro&ra" for -easants, he saw one "an who ha$nMt "a$e "uch -ro&ress. Che -u/licly insulte$ hi" with such s-ite that he re$uce$ the hu"iliate$ -easant to tears (-- H('L8*. .llustrative of his fanatical 7eal, Che hel-e$ $esi&n a ()0storey /ank. %owever, he thou&ht it shoul$ &o without an elevator (Che coul$ &et /y without an elevator4 why not everyone else[*. An$ they coul$ Reli"inate at least half M of the /athroo"s. RBut in revolutions,M he was tol$, R-eo-le &o to the /athroo" 6ust as "uch as /efore it.M R>ot the new "an,M sai$ Che. R%e can sacri5ce.M (-- 2(1L)* An$ sacri5ce he "ust. +or C$eDs puritanical +ision must be imposed6 all must sacri&ce #or t$e re+olution . Before Che was e9ecute$, he $eclare$4 RShoot, cowar$, you are only &oin& to kill a "an.M (- '1=* C$e could &nall" make t$e ultimate sacri&ce for the vision he live$ for. .tMs 6ust a sha"e that his vision was so inhu"ane. A$ile C$eDs $atred and #anaticism ma" $a+e made $im a %i#ted %uerrilla1 t$e" did not $elp create a more :ust societ".**;eneral ATs**AT: Flas$point [iolenceAT: Flas$pointTurns Case2e:ectin% @as$point #ocus causes #urt$er +iolenceFriedber% Hk L Professor of Politics an$ .nternational ADairs, Princeton (Aaron, ,ill Curo-es Past Be Asias +uture[, Survival 2).(*But there are reasons too to /e wary of -lacin& too "uch faith in the collective hu"an ca-acity for learnin&, still less co""on sense. At t$e turn o# t$is centur", "any sensi/le 4uropeans belie+ed t$at ,ar ,as i$iotic, out"o$e$, even obsolete, an$ they were o-ti"istic a/out the enor"ous /ene5ts to /e &aine$ fro" -er"anent -eace. T$eir %ood sense an$ soun$ 6u$&"ent on this question ,as not enou%$ to stamp out the an9ieties, 6ealousies an$ hatre$s that resulte$ eventually in the tra&e$y of Aorld Aar /. !wenty05ve "ears later, with the evi$ence of wars folly still fresh /efore the", the Curo-ean -owers were una/le to -revent another catastro-he. .n$ee$, lookin& /ack, it see"s clear that it was t$e +er" ea%erness of the li/eral $e"ocratic -owers to learn the lessons an$ to a+oid t$e mistakes o# t$e past that caused t$em to stumble a%ain into ,ar. .adt$e" been more attenti+eto t$e realities o# po,er, "ore alert to the $an&ers of a%%ression b" ambitious states, an$ less convince$ of the -acifyin& eDects of tra$e, institutions an$ conciliatory $i-lo"acy, t$e" mi%$t $a+e done betteratsecurin& their interests an$ -reservin& the -eace. AT: 3ni+ersal Cs"c$eAT: 3CNills 2adical CT\T$eir reliance on t$e uni+ersal ps"c$e eliminates an" attempt at a radical break ! it cannot trul" kno, t$e $uman e*perience Brickman J9 WCelia (Center for #eli&ion an$ Psychothera-y of Chica&o, PhD in #eli&ion an$ the %u"an Sciences at the University of Chica&o*< Abori%inal Copulations in t$e Mind: 2ace and Crimiti+it" in Cs"c$oanal"sis< Colu"/ia University Press< >ew Fork< -. )=30' IInickXA$en ps"c$oanal"sis supplies a p$"lo%enetic content to t$e unconscious1it dictates a uni+ersal1 a$istorical1 and precultural stratum o# t$e $uman mind1 repressed or repudiated since in#antile or Fprimiti+eG times , as the cost for the inau&uration of an enculturate$ su/6ectivity.Alt$ou%$ t$ere ma" al,a"s be some e*clusions brou%$t into bein% t$rou%$ t$e inau%uration o# sub:ecti+it"1 t$ese e*clusions ,ould +ar" ,it$ culture and $istor"1 and t$ere#ore be open to some de%ree o# alteration . ))To assert t$at ,e alread" kno, t$e content s(-hylo&enetic or otherwise*o# t$e unconscious in all cases and in all cultures denies t$e risk o# t$e unkno,n t$at a true encounter ,it$ t$e ot$er al,a"s poses to our o,n certainties o# kno,led%e . .n a$$ition 1 t$e #ormulation o# sub:ecti+it" as predicated on a repudiation o# a uni+ersal1 precultural primiti+it" rein#orces t$e binarism o# nature and culture1 sinceit understands our entr" into culture as condemnin% us to be #ore+er and inescapabl" alienated #rom t$e FnaturalGprimiti+epart o# oursel+es(an$ thus fro" those -eo-les i$enti5e$ as -art of nature*,settin% t$e scene #or t$e anal"st as t$e aut$orit" ,$o can in#orm us about t$e contents o# t$is inaccessible part o# oursel+es . (As we have seen, it is not only the -atient who falls into the tra- of /elievin& that the analyst is Jthe su/6ect who is su--ose$ to know.K*)(Buti# t$e unconscious can be released #rom a de+elopmental #rame,ork in ,$ic$ sub:ecti+it" is premised e*clusi+el" on repudiation or separation1 t$en it need not be ima%ined as an ab:ected1 inaccessible primiti+it".!hen the e"er&ence of unconscious contents in the analytic encounter nee$ not /e inscti/e$ as a re&ression /ack $own the $evelo-"ental scale /ut can /e seen as the e"er&ence of $i"ensions of e9-erience whose e9istence has /een o/scure$ /y, /ut is nonetheless coeval with, the -reoccu-ations of consciousness.T$e encounter ,it$ t$e unconscious is a return tomoments o# t$e past simpl" inso#ar as it allo,s us to dc!sediment t$e identi&cations t$at $a+e contributed to sub:ecti+it"6inso#ar as it allo,sus1 as Cornelius Castoriadis $as su%%ested 1 to consider sub:ecti+it" #rom t$e +anta%e point o# its contin%enc"1 #rom t$e +anta%e point o# $o, it became &*ed or essentiali8ed as t$at ,$ic$ it no, is. )2T$e anal"tic relations$ip need not be about t$e imposition o# aut$oritati+e kno,led%e nor about disabusin% t$e anal"sand o# t$e #antas" o# t$e anal"stDs aut$orit". .t can /e a way of co"in& to know oneself, of /eco"in& ca-a/le of feelin& "ore fully alive, an$ of en&a&in& "ore fully with the worl$ throu&h /ein& withrather than /ein& $o"inate$ /y, or fearin& $o"ination /yanother. !he inter"ina/ility of analysis, rather than $ue to a /e$rock of resistance to a -ri"itivity that can never /eoverco"e, woul$ then have to $o with the fact thatt$e unconscious al,a"s e*ceeds our capacit" to understand it4 no analysis can ever e9haust it an$ thus truly co"e to an en$.AT: Black /ntellectualismTurnColoni8ation[otin% a%ainst us to endorse black intellectualism is an act o# inad+ertent coloni8ation1 ,$ere "ou as :ud%es and ,e as debaters assume t$e mantle o# anti!racist codes onl" to destro" t$eir potentialMulli+an O4 >M$annon Mulli+an1 Cenn Mtate1 HOO41 A$ite Aorld!Tra+elin%1 Sournal o# Mpeculati+e C$ilosop$"1 [ol. 1R1 o. 4=Lu&ones $oes not -rovi$e Cn&lish translations of the S-anish -ortions of her essay co0authore$ with Cli7a/eth S-el"an. She an$ S-el"an require their rea$ers either to travel to Lu&onesM worl$ to en&a&e in $ialo&ue or to reali7e that they are un-re-are$ for &enuine $ialo&ue across racial an$ cultural $iDerences an$, as a result, are "issin& the full "eanin& of Lu&onesM re"arks. ,hiteIAn&lo wo"enMs lack of -re-aration for $ialo&ue with wo"en of color is not unco"0 "on an$, "oreover, it &oes /eyon$ their ty-ical i&norance of lan&ua&es other than Cn&lish. .t often e9ten$s to i&norance of the history, &eo&ra-hy, culture, foo$, -olitics, an$other i"-ortant features of nonwhite worl$s. As Lu&ones an$ S-el"an e9-lain, J,$iteIAn&lo ,omen are "uch less prepared #or t$is dialo%ue ,it$ ,omen o# color than wo"en of color are for $ialo&ue with the" in that wo"en of color have ha$ to learn whiteIAn&lo ways, self0conce-tions, an$ con0 ce-tions of the"K (Lu&ones an$ S-el"an 1;8(, H''*. T$is as"mmetrical pre! paredness is produced b" an in+erse relations$ip o# po,er and kno,led%e. Latina an$ other ,omen o# color o#ten $a+e less po,er t$an ,$iteIAn&lo ,omen, /ut they also ten$ to have "ore knowle$&e -recisely /ecause their relative lack of -ower has force$ the" to learn a/out whiteIAn&lo ways of life. Turnin% t$e tables1 Vu%ones writes in S-anish an$ #orces ,$iteIAn&lo ,omen to learn so"e0 thin& a/out VatinoTa ,orlds.T A$ile a ,$iteIAn&lo personDs learnin% Mpanis$ can be%in to balance t$e relations$ip o# po,er an$ knowle$&e /etween whiteIAn&lo an$ Latino worl$s, it also can $a+et$e opposite e-ect o# increasin% t$e $e%emon" o# t$e ,$ite ,orld . !his occurs when ,$ite people learn a lan%ua%e other than Stan$ar$ A"erican Lan&ua&eS-anish, African A"erican Lan&ua&e, or otherwiseprecisel" to dominate t$e ,orld t$at speaks t$at lan%ua%e. Certainly t$is $appened durin% times o# colonialist contr" to= break out o# t$eir ,$ite solipsism. 4+en in t$ese ,ell!intentioned instances, t$e protection pro+idedto minorit" races b" ,$ite peopleDs i%norance o# t$eir lan%ua%es can be eroded once ,$ite people be%in to understand and speak t$em.T !his -oint was /rou&ht ho"e to "e when a Latina frien$ an$ -hiloso-her e9-laine$ that she $i$ not want whiteIAn&lo -eo-le to learn S-anish /ecause their knowle$&e woul$ intru$e on the S-anishILatina worl$ that she an$ other S-anish0s-eakin& -hiloso-hers are a/le to create in the "i$st of whiteIAn&lo0 $o"inate$ conferences.) ?penin% up $er ,orld to ,$iteIAn&lo p$ilosop$ers tends to result in t$e destruction o# a +aluable point o# resistance to ,$ite racism. Because of the $o"inance of white -eo-le in -hiloso-hy in the Unite$ States, s$e frequently is #orced to tra+el to ,$ite ,orlds and ,ants to preser+e a s"all space t$at is relatively #ree o# ,$ite people and t$e issues o# race and racism t$at t$eir presence ine+itabl" (thou&h not necessarily $eli/erately* pro! duces.T Althou&h he ulti"ately wants to risk invitin& white -eo-le into Black se"iotics-ace,5anc" clearly s$ares m" frien$Ms concern.( As he e9-lains, A#rican American Van%ua%e an$ son& often have #unctioned as po,er#ul counter$e%emonic e*pressions because t$e" are a code t$at ,$ite people %enerall" do not understand (Fancy )==2, )8'L88*. ,hile white -eo-le thou&ht that Black -eo-le were "eeklysin&in& of the &lory of Eo$ an$ heaven, for e9a"-le, >e&ro s-irituals were surre-titiously encoura&in& an$ -lannin& re/ellious es0 ca-e fro" slavery. T$e lin%uistic resistance o# e%ro spirituals ,as possible onl" because ,$ite people did not understand t$e lan%ua%e bein% spoken. Vet Ft$e o#a"K (Fancy )==2, )8', )88, );3* into t$e secret o# t$e code and an important #orm o# resistance to ,$ite domination is eliminated .AT: Mtate BadAT: Mtate BadBureaucrac" ecessar"Bureaucrac" is necessar" to t$e sustenance o# radical resistance E actuall" burnin% it do,n creates a +oid o# action t$at ends in ps"$c$osisCarlson Hk >Ka+id ;ra"1 Cro#essor o# Va,1 Ben:amin . Cardo8o Mc$ool o# Va, Columbia Va, 2e+ie,o+ember1 1'''=Mc$la% presents a $ark vision of what he calls :the bureaucrac"10 ,$ic$ crus$es us andcontrols us. .t o-erates on :a 5el$ of -ain an$ $eath.: n)H; .t $e-rives us of choice, s-eech, n)3= an$ custo". n)31 As /ureaucracy cannot a/i$e &reat "in$s, le&al e$ucation "ust su--ress &reatness throu&h "in$ nu"/in& re-etition. n)3) .n fact, le&al thou&ht is the /ureaucracy an$ cannot /e $istin&uishe$ fro" it. n)3( .f le&al thou&ht trie$ to /uck the /ureaucracy, the /ureaucracy woul$ instantly crush it. n)32 Schla& o/serves that :ud%es $a+e taken 0oat$s t$at re2e%inald Veamon1 (9 Am. 3.V. 2e+. 19P1==Since the late 1;8=s, 2ace Crits $a+e increasin%l" practiced n11R a standard met$odolo%"1 t$rou%$ ,$ic$ t$e" pursue :ustice and liberation. n11; ,ith te9t/ooks, n1)= #ace Crits have atte"-te$ to settle $own what An&ela P. %arris once $escri/e$ as an :eclectic, iconoclastic nature.: n1)1 >evertheless, #ace Crits still e9-eri"ent, -erha-s encoura%in% Ailliams and 5amamoto to de+elop t$eir antisubordination practices. .n their writin&s, #ace Crits have a$o-te$ "o$ernis" (or structuralis"*, allowin& the" to -lace faith in li/eral i$eas like ri&hts, 6ustice, an$li/erty, even thou&h they $econstruct these le&alis"s so that they can unearth the truth. n1)) ,ritin& within this tension of "o$ernis" an$ -ost"o$ernis", these antisu/or$ination -ractices suDer fro" the conce-tual li"its of this structuralist "etho$olo&y, n1)( one stan$in& on the followin& the"es4 (1* an insistence on :na"in& our own reality:< ()* the /elief that knowle$&e an$ i$eas are -owerful< ((* a rea$iness to question /asic -re"ises of "o$erateIincre"ental civil ri&hts law< (2* the /orrowin& of insi&hts fro" social science on race an$ racis"< (H* critical e9a"ination of the "yths an$ stories -owerful &rou-s use to 6ustify racial su/or$ination< (3* a "ore conte9tuali7e$ treat"ent of $octrine< W^1(81X ('* criticis" of li/eral le&alis"s< an$ (8* an interest in structural $eter"inis" 0 the ways in which le&al tools an$ thou&ht0structures can i"-e$e law refor". n1)2 3nder C2T)s"o$ernist an$ postmodernistmet$odolo%", these the"es $ivi$e two cate&ories4 (1* "acro structuralis" an$ ()* "acro in$ivi$ual a&ency an$ social -ractices. Un$er "acro structuralis", ,e &nd0an interest instructural determinism L T t$e ,a"s in ,$ic$ le%al tools and t$ou%$t!structures can impede la, re#orm.0 n1)H T$is#eature #orms a "a6or set, within which we 5n$ its ele"ents4 :a readiness to includin% sla+er"= t$at A$ites $a+e raciali8ed Blacksand /ndians in t$e 3nite$ Mtates. So t$ere is a problem ,it$ Me*ton)s concept o#race as Blackness . !here is also a -ro/le" with his insistence on "onoraciality. +or Se9ton an$ the others, one cannot /e "i9e$ or "ulti-le< one "ust choose ever an$only to /e Black. . $ont have a -ro/le" with that as a -olitical choice, /ut to insist t$at it is t$e onl"possibilit"@ies in t$e #ace o# a %reat deal o# $uman e*perience1 and it i%norest$e $istor" o# $o, modern racial ideas emer%ed. Me*ton does point out, as $o "any writers, the @a,ed tendencies in multiracial ad+ocac" "entione$ in thesecon$ -ara&ra-h a/ove.But $e imputes t$em to t$e ,$ole mo+ementan$ to the su/6ect of stu$y,and t$at is not a #air assessment . !he "ain -ro/le" is that Me*ton ar%ues #rom conclusion to e+idence1 rat$er t$an t$e ot$er ,a" around. !hat is, he /e&ins with the conclusion that the "ultiracial i$ea is /a$, retro&ra$e, an$ "ust /e resiste$. An$ then $ec$err"!picks $is e+idence to &t $is conclusion . %e s-en$s "uch of his ti"e on weaker writers such as Ere&ory Ste-hens an$ Ste-hen !alty who have /een tan&ential to the "ultiracial literature. ,hen he a$$resses stron&er 5&ures like Daniel, #oot, >ash, an$@enne$y, he carefully selects his quotes to 5t his ar&u"ent, an$ "isre-resents their -ositions /y $oin& so. Se9ton also "akes so"e -retty outra&eous clai"s. %e takes the fact that -eo-le who stu$y "ultiracial i$entities are often stu$yin& as-ects of fa"ily life (such as the sha-in& of a chil$s i$entity*, an$ twists that to char&e the" with ho"o-ho/ia an$ nuclear fa"ily0is". !hat is si"-ly not accurate for any of the "ain writers in the 5el$. !he sa"e is true for his ar&u"ent /y innuen$o that scholars of "ultiraciality so"ehow a$vocate "ail0or$er /ri$e services. An$ sometimes Me*ton simpl" resorts to ad $ominem attacks on t$e moti+es and personal li+es o# t$e ,riters t$emsel+es. .t is a -retty taw$ry e9ercise. !hat is unfortunate, /ecause Se9ton a--ears /ri&ht an$ "i&ht have written a "uch /etter /ook $etailin& his hesitations a/out so"e ten$encies in the "ultiracial "ove"ent. %e "i&ht even have o-ene$ u- a new $irection for -ro$uctive stu$y of racial co""it"ent a"i$ co"-le9ity. Se9ton $oes "ake several o/servations that are worth thinkin& a/out, WCn$ Pa&e 1)3X an$ surely this intellectual "ove"ent, like any other, nee$s to think critically a/out itself. Sa$ly, this is not that /ook. **Frame,ork**AT: Ve%alism BadAT: Ve%alism BadKisenc$antment Mol+esKisenc$anted +ie, ,orksAn%ela C .arris1 sel# described race and #eminist sc$olar ,$o teac$es la, at 3C Ka+is in 1''4 (An%ela C. .arris (/orn c. 1;H;* is a le&al scholar at UC Davis School of Law, in the 5el$s of critical race theory, fe"inist le&al scholarshi-, an$ cri"inal law. She hel$ the -osition of Professor of Law at UC Berkeley School of Law, 6oinin& the faculty in 1;88. .n )==;, Professor %arris 6oine$ the faculty of the State University of >ew Forkat BuDalo Law School as a Visitin& Professor. .n )=1=, she also assu"e$ the role of Actin& Vice Dean for #esearch b +aculty Develo-"ent.W1X .n )=11, she acce-te$ an oDer to 6oin the faculty at the UC Davis School of Law, an$ /e&an teachin& as a Professor of Law in the )=110)=1) aca$e"ic year.W)XCalifornia Law #eviewT ?uly, 1;;2T 8) Calif. L. #ev. '21T LC>E!%4 )1;2; wor$s +orewor$4 !he ?uris-ru$ence of #econstruction >ABC4 An&ela P. %arris B.P4 Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley, Boalt %all School of Law. Bythanks to Sheila +oster, C$ #u/in, Bar6orie Shult7, an$ ?an Vetter for their hel-ful co""ents on -revious versions of this essay. !hanks also to the e$itors at the California Law #eview for their -atience an$ -ersistence. Last, /ut not least, thanks to ?or&e Sanche7 for e9e"-lary research assistance an$ thou&htful, searchin& co""entary. All "istakes, "isun$erstan$in&s, an$ "is6u$&"ents, of course, are "ine. A -icture of her can /e foun$ here htt-4IIlaw.scu.e$uIsocial6usticeIwo"en0law0stories0/ook0cha-ter0oneI*B. ?uris-ru$ence an$ Disenchant"ent T .n the -revious Section, . i$enti5e$ the $evelo-"ent of a theory of the raciali7e$ su/6ect as one way in which a 6uris-ru$ence of reconstruction "i&ht as-ire towar$ a "ore so-histicate$ "o$ernis". Another "essa&e of the clash /etween "o$ernis" an$ its $iscontents, however, is that a 6uris-ru$enceof reconstruction shoul$ as-ire to $isenchant"ent. Both the -ost"o$ern critique an$ the history of :race relations: cast $ou/t on the a/ility of newer an$ "ore enli&htenin& theories to vanquish racis". /n t$eir commitment to anti!subordination1 race!crits s$ould not abandon rationalist reason< /ut rationalis" "ay co"e to re-resent 6ust one a"on& "any tools of social chan&e.T Kisenc$antment also entails %i+in% up a certain romanticism about the rhetorical a--aratus of modernism4 the /elief in li/eration, in the eGcacy of :revolution,: n182 an$ in racial co""unities as un-ro/le"atic, har"onious :ho"es.: A disenc$anted :urisprudence o# reconstruction #ocuses instead on t$e moment to moment stru%%les to alle+iate su-erin% and alienation.T 1. !he Disenchante$ .ntellectual T Pne res-onse to the -ost"o$ernist re$uction of knowle$&e to -ower is a new 0 an$ $isenchante$ 0 attention to the function of -rofessional intel W^'';X lectuals as a class. !he -ost0colonialist theorist Eayatri S-ivak, for e9a"-le, is careful to e9a"ine the $ou/le eDects of her own intellectual -ractices. ,ritin& a/out a conference of hu"anist scholars that she atten$e$, S-ivak co""ents, :. thou&ht the $esire to e9-lain "i&ht /e a sy"-to" of the $esire to have a self that can control knowle$&e an$ a worl$ that can /e known.: n18H !