In White Innocence Gloria Wekker explores a central paradox of Dutch culture: the passionate denial of racial discrimination and colonial violence coexisting alongside aggressive racism and xenophobia. Accessing a cultural archive built over 400 years of Dutch colonial rule, Wekker fundamentally challenges Dutch racial exceptionalism by undermining the dominant narrative of the Netherlands as a "gentle" and "ethical" nation.
Wekker analyzes the Dutch media's portrayal of black women and men, the failure to grasp race in the Dutch academy, contemporary conservative politics (including gay politicians espousing anti-immigrant rhetoric), and the controversy surrounding the folkloric character Black Pete, showing how the denial of racism and the expression of innocence safeguards white privilege. Wekker uncovers the postcolonial legacy of race and its role in shaping the white Dutch self, presenting the contested, persistent legacy of racism in the country.
| ISBN: | 9780822360599 |
| Publication date: | 29th April 2016 |
| Author: | Gloria Wekker |
| Publisher: | Duke University Press |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 240 pages |
| Genres: |
European history Ethnic groups and multicultural studies Social and cultural anthropology |
In White Innocence Gloria Wekker explores a central paradox of Dutch culture: the passionate denial of racial discrimination and colonial violence coexisting alongside aggressive racism and xenophobia. Accessing a cultural archive built over 400 years of Dutch colonial rule, Wekker fundamentally challenges Dutch racial exceptionalism by undermining the dominant narrative of the Netherlands as a "gentle" and "ethical" nation.
White Innocence features in the following genres: European history, Ethnic groups and multicultural studies, Social and cultural anthropology
Hardback, Paperback. Not Available.
White Innocence was written by Gloria Wekker and published by Duke University Press
White Innocence has 240 pages