While the 'passing' of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century has fallen out of favor, the passing of today takes the form of the assertion of 'pure' individualism, stripped of race and gender. But this notion of the individual is an ideological fiction, reflective of the image of male whiteness, and still situated in … Continue reading Passing & Pure Individualism
john a. powell
Reputation of Being a White Man
'If he be a white man, and assigned to a colored coach, he may have his action for damages against the company for being deprived of his so-called property. Upon the other hand, if he be a colored man and be so assigned, he has been deprived of no property, since he is not lawfully … Continue reading Reputation of Being a White Man
Whiteness defined by “Common Man”
The U.S. Naturalization Act of 1790 specified that citizenship was available only to “free white persons of good moral character.” In United States vs. Bhagat Singh Thind (1923) SCOTUS argued that whiteness was defined by the understanding of “the common man.” “In other words, the Court conceded that definitions of whiteness are predicated upon common … Continue reading Whiteness defined by “Common Man”
Virginia Avniel Spatz 