Invisible Man and Racism in Academia
In the beginning of Invisible Man we see the life of the narrator during his time in university, where he faces a subtle, almost deceiving form of racism that is often seen in academia. Characters like Mr. Norton provide examples of the types of racists that exist in educational institutions. And Mr. Norton isn’t just a made up person in a novel, in fact, there are many Mr. Norton’s in the real world. Racism in academic settings runs rampant, and Invisible Man shows just how deceiving higher education can be when it comes to racial issues.
Throughout his interactions with the narrator Mr. Norton shows that he has little respect for black people, infantilizing them and acting like he is their god, and never truly making an effort to see them as individuals and acknowledge their struggles (as opposed to one group with the same life experience, ideas, values, etc.). It is through his generalization of the black community and failure to acknowledge the severity of the discrimination they face that Mr. Norton, and many other white academics, contribute to the oppression and exclusion of black people in higher education.
However Mr. Norton isn't just a character in Invisible Man, he exists in the real world. Racism-evasive rhetoric like “not seeing color” and avoiding any hard conversations about race and inequality, is a large problem in educational institutions, with many seemingly liberal professors often neglecting the discrimination that their black colleagues and students face. Academia Isn’t a Safe Haven for Conversations About Race and Racism provides an example of how racism is still prevalent in academia, “Angie has found that her white colleagues often react with denial when she discusses the racist bullying, harassment, and trauma she has faced as a person of color. They discourage her from talking about how this trauma informs her teaching and research on racism, anti-blackness, and why academic departments have an obligation to address racial hostility (Tsedale M. Melaku and Angie Beeman). The racism depicted in Invisible Son is still accurate and provides a meaningful critique of academia and white professors.
Hey Andrea, there seems to be a highlighting issue with your post but if one is to highlight the total body of text, your post is visible. I believe you bring up an increasingly important topic, being the racism that resides within academic settings, in a very poised manner. I had not considered that Mr. Norton may have represented this idea, but it does make a lot of sense. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThe situation is maybe even more bleak at the elementary and secondary levels, where the Republican party is organizing around parental "outrage" over the alleged teaching of "critical race theory" in public schools, which essentially means any critical discussion of race in America that might make white students feel bad about themselves (I'm not exaggerating--the rhetoric is all about how wrong it is to teach kids that they are "inherently racist" and that teaching Black history and culture marginalizes the white students in the classroom). Essentially, every conversation we've had this semester in this class would now be illegal in a number of states. I don't know about similar protests of the curriculum at the college level, but the article you cite makes clear that the ideals are not always manifest in daily practice.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how you connected the book with an overarching problem in society. You bring up a really important topic that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. I don't think many people realize that Mr. Norton's personality extends to a lot of people in the world, so it's really great that you identified how Mr. Norton stereotypes black people and refuses to individualize them. Great job on the blog!
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic blog post! I think you do a great job discussing the narrator and his experience with racism within academia and linking it with how Mr. Norton is not just a fictional character, but a real person that people interact with across all levels of academia. A point I find especially relevant is the "racism-evasive rhetoric" that you discuss. This is something I have seen before and it is extremely harmful. Great work!
ReplyDeleteGood evening. You bring up a good point, connecting Invisible man with issues still prevalent today. I am glad you brought up Mr. Norton and how his character can be see as an embodiment of racism in academia. Keep up the good work
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post. I really like how you chose to connect the book with current issues in todays society, especially in regards to Mr. Norton. It is important to recognize that Mr. Norton represents a large group of people who feel that are above racism through, as you mentioned an "evasive" rhetoric and how damaging that mindset is. Great post!
ReplyDeleteNice job on this post! I like how you were able to connect a fictional character in Mr. Norton to a real world setting, and even one that is still prevalent today, along with a source to back up your claims. Great job!
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