Race Critical Theories Modernity, Race Term Paper

Furthermore, while acknowledging that there was a consciousness of whiteness and white superiority in other lands, such as England, Roediger points out that part of the Americanization process for European immigrants was to become white, and that this process involved internalizing feelings of racism and hatred towards blacks.

Affirmative Action and the Politics of Race by Manning Marable

Manning Marable is a pro-affirmative action author, and he begins his essay by decrying the fact that the political right wing has largely defined the context of discussions about affirmative action. In addition, he stresses concern that those who have benefitted from affirmative action have been reluctant to defend it. He suggests that part of the problem is due to how affirmative action has traditionally been framed and its lack of a definition. Historically, he says, affirmative action was "designed to promote some degree of compensatory justice to the victims of slavery, Jim Crow segregation, and institutionalized racism." (Marable, p. 347). Furthermore, many historical progressives did not view integration or affirmative action as the best way to advance post-slavery African-Americans. For example, W.E.B. DuBois stressed an emphasis on pluralism and thought that inclusion and assimilation were dangerous. Marable's own position is closer to DuBois' than to the leading desegregationists, because Marable believes that the loss of black culture is not an essential element in integration. (Marable, p.348). Marable believes that affirmative action is a necessary tool and that the main criticism that can be levied against it is that it has not gone far enough; those who endorse race-neutral reforms are ignoring the reality that the United States is still not a race-neutral place, and the playing field still favors white males over other candidates.

I agree with the majority of Marable's statements. For example, when considering school admissions, one must look at the fact the universities judge potential students, in part, by their high school; a 4.0 GPA at an inner-city school is not considered the same achievement as a 4.0 GPA at a top-tier suburban high school. Graduate school admissions are similarly predicated on which college the applicant attended, and job applicants are judged on both college and graduate school. Until society changes to the point that race is not one of the defining factors in where someone lives and the quality of one's secondary education, the playing field will not be level and affirmative action will be a necessity.

Works Cited

Goldberg, David Theo. "Modernity, Race, and Morality." Race Critical Theories: Text and Context. Eds. Philomena Essed and David Theo Goldberg. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2002. 283-306.

Marable, Manning. "Affirmative Action and the Politics of Race." Race Critical Theories: Text and Context. Eds. Philomena Essed and David Theo Goldberg. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2002. 344-354.

Roediger, David. "Whiteness and Ethnicity in the History of 'White Ethnics' in the United

States." Race Critical Theories: Text and Context. Eds. Philomena Essed and David Theo Goldberg.…