Black Criticism - Assignment Example

Racism: Black Criticism s Affiliation Introduction This paper analyses racism with regard to the critical theory of Black criticism. Belief in racial inferiority or superiority is founded on the opinion that intellectual and moral characteristics are biological properties which differentiate the races. But the sarcasm of this notion is that critical theory offer very complex tools for analyzing Black criticism since African-Americans` critics have always been discussing the issue of fragmented personae and multiple identities for decades now (Bonilla-Silva, 2010, pg. 45). But the fight of Blacks is precisely the fight to integrate multiplicity and identity.

As a critical theory, Black criticism single out condemnation and critique knowledge which is marked by more specific characteristic. The knowledge about racial discrimination presents itself as definite, final, and past human motivations and interests. As such, critical theory seek to destabilize such knowledge. Black criticism acknowledges that racialism is engrained within the system and fabric of American society. An individual racist does not need to so as to note institutional racism is universal in the leading culture.

The theory recognizes that white supremacy and white privilege dominates the power structures, which propagates the marginalization of Blacks. Black criticism also discards the traditions of meritocracy and liberalism. Legal discourse reveals that the existing law is impartial and colorblind, nonetheless, the theory challenges this lawful “act” by scrutinizing meritocracy and liberalism as a means of self-interest, privilege and power.  Black criticism recognizes that meritocracy and liberalism are habitually stories told by those with power, wealth, and privilege.

Such stories creates a wrong picture of meritocracy; every person who works hard enough can attain power, wealth, and privilege but disregarding the systemic inequalities which institutional racism offer. Intersectionality (examination of sexual orientation, race, class, gender, national origin, and how they interplay in various settings) in Black criticism leads to a multiple oppressions and identifies that race, in itself, cannot suggest disempowerment (Camara, 2011, pg. 63). This is a significant tenet in emphasizing that Black criticism is crucial for most oppressions facing folks of color.

The theory does not commit to racism as one–dimensional approach to oppression due to the complexities of the world. An interpretation of white writing especially in racist nations illumines the level of Blacks` oppression – something similar to feminine critique. For instance, Habib (2007) argues that the culture of American is built on, and always embraces, the blacks as outsiders or slaves. According to Bonilla-Silva (2010), “whiteness” is the other side of “blackness” with both terms being a dialectical pair (both creates and dismisses the other).

That is, no freedom exist without slavery while no white lives without Blacks. An effort to comprehend the entire issue of “Black criticism” does not require a single mirror that gives one reflection but numerous perspectives that understand it better. Nonetheless, black criticism has historically been associated with racial discrimination as the dominant element. That is, race is an issue of “blood” and inherent. Something which has firmly been believed by Americans.ConclusionIn summary, this paper has analyzed racism in line with the critical theory of Black criticism.

Belief in racial inferiority or superiority is anchored on the opinion that intellectual and moral characteristics are biological properties which differentiate the races. To understand the entire issue of “Black criticism” we do not require one perspective of reasoning that gives one reflection but rather numerous perspectives which understand it better.ReferencesBonilla-Silva, E. (2010). Racism without racists: Color-blind racism and the persistence ofracial inequality in the United States.

Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.Camara, B. (2011). Marxist theory, Black/African specificities, and racism. Lanham, MD:Lexington Books.Habib, R. (2007). A history of literary criticism: From Plato to the present. Hoboken, NJ: JohnWiley & Sons.