The Heart of Whiteness: Normal Sexuality and Race in America, 1880-1940

In this groundbreaking study, Julian Carter demonstrates that between 1880 and 1940, cultural discourses of whiteness and heterosexuality fused to form a new concept of the "normal" American. Gilded Age elites defined white civilization as the triumphant achievement of exceptional people h...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
1. Verfasser: Carter, Julian B (VerfasserIn)
Format: Elektronisch E-Book
Sprache:English
Veröffentlicht: Durham Duke University Press [2007]
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:FAB01
FAW01
FHA01
FKE01
FLA01
UBG01
UPA01
FCO01
Volltext
Zusammenfassung:In this groundbreaking study, Julian Carter demonstrates that between 1880 and 1940, cultural discourses of whiteness and heterosexuality fused to form a new concept of the "normal" American. Gilded Age elites defined white civilization as the triumphant achievement of exceptional people hewing to a relational ethic of strict self-discipline for the common good. During the early twentieth century, that racial and relational ideal was reconceived in more inclusive terms as "normality," something toward which everyone should strive. The appearance of inclusiveness helped make "normality" appear consistent with the self-image of a racially diverse republic; nonetheless, "normality" was gauged largely in terms of adherence to erotic and emotional conventions that gained cultural significance through their association with arguments for the legitimacy of white political and social dominance. At the same time, the affectionate, reproductive heterosexuality of "normal" married couples became increasingly central to legitimate membership in the nation.Carter builds her intricate argument from detailed readings of an array of popular texts, focusing on how sex education for children and marital advice for adults provided significant venues for the dissemination of the new ideal of normality. She concludes that because its overt concerns were love, marriage, and babies, normality discourse facilitated white evasiveness about racial inequality. The ostensible focus of "normality" on matters of sexuality provided a superficially race-neutral conceptual structure that whites could and did use to evade engagement with the unequal relations of power that continue to shape American life today
Beschreibung:Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 25. Nov 2020)
Beschreibung:1 online resource (230 pages) 1 photo, 1 table
ISBN:9780822389583
DOI:10.1515/9780822389583

Es ist kein Print-Exemplar vorhanden.

Fernleihe Bestellen Achtung: Nicht im THWS-Bestand! Volltext öffnen