The ruse of analogy -- The narcissistic slave -- Fishing for Antwone -- Cinematic unrest : Bush Mama and the Black Liberation Army -- Absurd mobility -- The ethics of sovereignty -- Excess lack -- The pleasures of parity -- "Savage" Negrophobia -- A crisis in the commons -- Half-white healing -- Make me feel good
Summary
"Red, White & Black is a provocative critique of socially engaged films and related critical discourse. Offering an unflinching account of race and representation, Frank B. Wilderson III asks whether such films accurately represent the structure of U.S. racial antagonisms. That structure, he argues, is based on three essential subject positions: that of the White (the 'settler,' 'master,' and 'human'), the Red (the 'savage' and 'half-human'), and the Black (the 'slave' and 'non-human'). Wilderson contends that for Blacks, slavery is ontological, an inseparable element of their being. From the beginning of the European slave trade until now, Blacks have had symbolic value as fungible flesh, as the non-human (or anti-human) against which Whites have defined themselves as human. Just as slavery is the existential basis of the Black subject position, genocide is essential to the ontology of the Indian. Both positions are foundational to the existence of (White) humanity."-- Provided by publisher
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 365-374) and index
