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2016 Midterm2 (assignment) Index to Sample Student Midterm2 Answers Part 3. Research Report Starts |
LITR 4340
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Amber Boone
The Dominant Culture and ‘Whiteness’
As a Scandinavian, my culture is rich and cherished among my family. We
participate in Danish rituals, come from a long line of Viking crusaders, all
have striking red hair, own volumes of family history books written in Danish,
we call each other names that hold special meaning only in Denmark, and we keep
in close contact with our family still living in Denmark. Essentially, I feel
that my heritage is something to celebrate and to be proud of. However, whilst
living in America, I am constantly told that my heritage does not matter. I am
of European descent, so I am simply, ‘white.’ But what does it mean to be
‘white?’
Within the United States, the seemingly omnipotent dominant culture is defined
as an unmarked territory, but that is commonly identified with ‘whiteness,’ as
well as middle-class modesty, plainness, and cleanliness. Therefore, although it
is commonly associated with the white race, there are several other key factors
that play into its role as well. However, ‘whiteness’ seems to be a recurring
theme within immigrant and minority literature. The color alone lends to the
assertion that those assimilating into its culture must absorb and continue its
unmarked plainness and cleanliness, and American immigrant literature is rife
with examples that demonstrate anger and even outrage towards ‘whiteness’ as a
whole, and not simply the dominant culture. Therefore, I began to ponder as to
why so much anger was being generated towards one particular color, because,
what exactly is ‘whiteness?’ In “What is ‘White’ and Why?,” Dorothy Noyes poses
the question: “What happened that allowed one group as varied as the European
immigrants were and are, to be transformed into a large, homogenous group
defined as ‘white?’” (Noyes). I am curious to learn what factors led to this
grouping of an entire race being stratified in such a way.
Whilst pondering this question, I was lead to a field of study simply called
‘whiteness.’ This field has both strong proponents, as well as fervent
opponents, but it seems to be a field that has not quite yet been defined,
having just come into study quite recently over the last several decades.
However, in “Whiteness Studies: The New History of Race in America,” Peter
Kolchin begins by asserting that we “[start] from the now widely shared premise
that race is an ideological or social construct rather than a biological fact”
(Kolchin). Therefore, according to Kolchin, ‘whiteness’ does not imply a study
of race, but rather, one that examines the socioeconomic factors that
‘whiteness’ imposes upon others; thereby forming the dominant culture.
Works
Cited
Kolchin, Peter. "Whiteness Studies: The New History of Race in America." N.p.,
n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2016. <
https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/gjay/www/Whiteness/kolchinreviewessay.htm>.
Noyes, Dorothy. What is “White” and Why? Accessed through Craig White’s online
Course Site
