An inquiry into the transformation of the collective U.S. memory of the Tulsa Race Massacre through remediation in HBO's Watchmen (2019) and Lovecraft Country (2020).
In this thesis, the argument is made that the extent to which secrecy was employed in early twentieth-century lynching in the American Deep South is dependent on whether that secrecy provided the...Show moreIn this thesis, the argument is made that the extent to which secrecy was employed in early twentieth-century lynching in the American Deep South is dependent on whether that secrecy provided the desired sense of security from persecution to those participating in a lynch mob. Using three case studies, ranging from a highly publicized and public killing in Waco, Texas, to a group slaying of remotely situated Mexican Texans by a division of Texas Rangers, to a highly coordinated attack on a jewish factory boss in the dark of night, it is argued that either the cover of obscurity or the anonimity in a large group setting could each supply the needed sense of safety for those participating in the lynching to commit to the act fully. The circumstances which would dictate the public or secretive approach varied widely in the studied cases, yet there are some common grounds to be found among them as well.Show less
This research examines the construction of the ambiguous category of Jewishness through the affective ‘desire for Jewish identity’ expressed in a number of canonical post-war works of Jewish...Show moreThis research examines the construction of the ambiguous category of Jewishness through the affective ‘desire for Jewish identity’ expressed in a number of canonical post-war works of Jewish-American fiction by Philip Roth, Bernard Malamud, and Joshua Cohen. Building on recent work by Benjamin Schreier, Jonathan Freedman, and Walter Benn Michaels this thesis problematises the racial underpinning of Jewish identity, as well as reopening the broader question of the relation between race and culture in multicultural understandings of identity. Ultimately it makes an argument for the field of Jewish American studies to move away from a critical practice that begins with the prior category of “identity” towards one that places an analysis of the affective “desire for identity” at the heart of its critical project.Show less
A comparative analysis between Nella Larsen’s Passing, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half. The thesis explores the texts through the lens of trauma theory and...Show moreA comparative analysis between Nella Larsen’s Passing, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half. The thesis explores the texts through the lens of trauma theory and postcolonial theory and considers the relation between trauma, colorism and passing. It finds that even though all three novels challenged the notions of colorism (at their time of publication) through the use of narrative stylistics, they all use different strategies to achieve this objective. To be more specific, while Passing and The Bluest Eye use a narrative style which is associated with Modernism and Postmodernism, The Vanishing Half adopts narrative devices which can be best explained with postcolonial theory.Show less
The anti-imperialists in the United States, unified in the Anti-Imperialist League (AIL) used race among various other arguments to oppose the annexation of the Philippines after the Spanish...Show moreThe anti-imperialists in the United States, unified in the Anti-Imperialist League (AIL) used race among various other arguments to oppose the annexation of the Philippines after the Spanish-American War (1898). The primary argument of the AIL was that the annexation devalued the American founding principles, although other arguments, such as race, were raised as well. Earlier works have examined the relation between race and (anti-) imperialism in the context of American imperialism at the end of the nineteenth century, albeit in a broader context. This thesis aims to determine in what ways race was fundamental to the AIL’s views of the annexation of the Philippines. To determine how fundamental race was to these views, this thesis analyses documents and speeches of six AIL members, belonging to three different movements within the AIL: the rights activists, the Social Darwinists, and the white supremacists. These documents show that the perception of race plays a role in structuring the argument of race, yet it also structures other political, administrative, and labor-related arguments. These results show that the perception of race was fundamental in the shaping of several arguments against annexation.Show less
This thesis analyzes the making of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a popular cultural celebrity in and through three cultural texts: the biopic 'On the Basis of Sex', the documentary 'RBG', and the...Show moreThis thesis analyzes the making of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a popular cultural celebrity in and through three cultural texts: the biopic 'On the Basis of Sex', the documentary 'RBG', and the book 'My Own Words'. The central concern is to explore how each primary source navigates the paradox of the impassioned celebrity figure, where there is a specific focus on the personal, and the dispassionate Supreme Court Justice, whose role is to be impersonal and ‘blind’. I argue that it is the careful construction of Ginsburg’s public persona by herself, and others engaged in representing her, that navigates this issue. Subsequently, I conclude that this negotiation is not to increase Ginsburg’s ego or material gain, but functions as a means to promote and strengthen the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States.Show less
In the United States, the abortion rate of black women is almost five times higher than for white women. The black pro-life movement preaches against abortion by claiming it is a tool for black...Show moreIn the United States, the abortion rate of black women is almost five times higher than for white women. The black pro-life movement preaches against abortion by claiming it is a tool for black genocide, committed by the largest abortion provider Planned Parenthood. They argue that abortions are marketed towards minority communities as part of population control policies. By linking abortion to racism, black pro-life organizations have combined racial justice activism with pro-life activism. This study focuses on two major black pro-life organizations: LEARN, founded by Reverend Clenard Childress, and The Radiance Foundation, founded by Ryan Scott Bomberger. By analyzing their online content on websites, social media and other online appearances, this thesis sets forth an analysis of the organizations’ positioning towards other racial justice activism movements such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Lives Matter Movement. The black pro-life organizations position themselves significantly more positively towards the Civil Rights Movement than the Black Lives Matter Movement. Due to overlapping religious ideology, the black pro-life organizations align their own racial justice activism with the Civil Rights Movement and frame themselves as the true civil rights successors. The Black Lives Matter Movement is not faith-based, more radically pro-abortion, and adheres to fundamentally different principles than the conservative pro-life organizations, resulting in the black pro-life movement rejecting the Black Lives Matter racial justice activism as hypocritical and contradictory to the civil rights legacy.Show less
