This work gives an overview about how sexuality has been used in history to express racism, and how some ethnicities are fetishized even today.
There are many ways in which People of Colour (POC) have to endure racism. Discrimination of PoC and minorities is a practice with a very old history. As a society we have already gone a long way, and expressing one's own culture, sexual orientation, or history is mostly accepted today. But from slavery to political right pressure many western democratic states experience the last few decades, racism has been and probably will be a huge problem for a long time. Not only racism but also sexism from our society and our way of life. Sexism comes in many forms. It's not always easy to detect and is internalized in our society, just as racism is, too.
Racism is not only slavery or right-wing extremists, it is also sitting away from a black man in the bus, touching someone's afro hair because it 'feels different', or sexualizing black women because of their skin colour. There are a lot of ways to express racism and sexism and not even realizing that one is doing it.
In this paper, I will discuss how white people use sexuality to discriminate against People of Colour by explaining sexuality and racism in the 20th century with the example of the poem 'The Harlem Dancer' by Claude McKay, fetishization and exoticization, and the denial of sexuality of PoC.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. "The Harlem Dancer" by Claude McKay – Racism and sexism in the 20th century
3. Fetishization and Exoticism
4. The Denial of Sexuality of Peope of Colour
5. Conclusion
6. Works Cited
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This paper examines how sexuality has historically been, and continues to be, utilized by white society as a mechanism to exert power and discriminate against People of Colour (POC), focusing on the intersection of racism and sexism.
- Analysis of Claude McKay's "The Harlem Dancer" as a critique of early 20th-century racism and sexism.
- Exploration of racial fetishization and exoticism in historical and modern contexts, including the adult film industry.
- Investigation of the historical and systematic denial of sexual agency and rights for POC.
- Examination of the "multiple minority stress" and discrimination faced by POC within the LGBT community.
Excerpts from the Book
"The Harlem Dancer" by Claude McKay – Racism and sexism in the 20th century
'The Harlem Dancer' by Claude McKay was published in 1917. Harlem, a neighbourhood in New York City, is known to be "a Black cultural mecca in the early 20th Century" (History 1). Harlem was a place for black people to express their culture, their arts and music. Many white people came to Harlem to party and enjoy the nightlife. Claude McKay, who was black himself, knew how it was to experience racism. In his poem, he describes a burlesque house with a black female dancer. The reader gets to look at the scenery through the eyes of a spectator. The first line says "Applauding youths laughed with young prostitutes" (McKay). For the reader, it is obvious that there has to be a show or something similar. The facts that the audience is there with prostitutes and the poem has been published in the 1910s, make it very clear that the audience consists only, or for the most part, of men. In the second line, McKay describes how they "watched her perfect, half-clothed body sway". The reader learns now that the audience is watching a dancer in light, short clothing. Not only does this reduce the dancing woman on her body, but this also gives an impression of where this situation takes place. It is likely happening in a burlesque house. With the reduction to her body, the woman is sexualized and objectified. The problem with objectification is, that it is "fundamentally an act of denying that a person has mental abilities and moral status" (Kellie 1).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents the paper's thesis regarding the intersection of racism and sexism and explains the focus on sexual discrimination in the 20th century.
2. "The Harlem Dancer" by Claude McKay – Racism and sexism in the 20th century: Analyzes the poem as a manifestation of how Black women were objectified and sexualized by white audiences in historical Harlem.
3. Fetishization and Exoticism: Discusses the historical roots and contemporary manifestations of racial fetishization, particularly in the adult pornography industry and modern dating practices.
4. The Denial of Sexuality of Peope of Colour: Examines how western society paradoxically denies sexual agency to POC while simultaneously exploiting them through stereotypes and racialized violence.
5. Conclusion: Summarizes the pervasive nature of internalized racist and sexist attitudes and emphasizes the need for societal awareness regarding these intersecting forms of inequality.
6. Works Cited: Lists the academic, journalistic, and institutional sources utilized throughout the analysis.
Keywords
Racism, Sexism, Fetishization, Exoticism, Objectification, The Harlem Dancer, Claude McKay, POC, Adult film industry, Intersectionality, Multiple minority stress, Black women, Sexual violence, Jim Crow, LGBT community
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper explores how sexuality has been historically utilized as a tool by white society to discriminate against and marginalize People of Colour, specifically through the intersection of racism and sexism.
What are the primary themes discussed in the text?
The core themes include the objectification of Black women, the phenomenon of racial fetishization, the historical denial of sexual rights for POC, and the discrimination faced by POC within the LGBT community.
What is the main objective or research question?
The primary goal is to analyze how white people use sexuality to discriminate against POC, using Claude McKay's poem 'The Harlem Dancer' and modern examples to illustrate these power imbalances.
Which methodology does the author apply?
The author uses a literary and sociocultural analysis, combining a close reading of a 20th-century poem with historical context and sociological data to highlight persistent patterns of discrimination.
What topics are covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body covers a literary analysis of McKay's work, the evolution of racial fetishism in the 19th and 20th centuries, current trends in the adult entertainment industry, and the systemic challenges faced by Black people regarding sexual autonomy.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include racism, sexism, fetishization, objectification, intersectionality, and systemic discrimination.
How does the author connect 'The Harlem Dancer' to modern societal issues?
The author argues that the objectification depicted in the 1917 poem reflects broader colonial and structural power dynamics that still persist in the hypersexualization of POC in modern culture and digital platforms.
What conclusions does the author draw regarding racial fetishization?
The author concludes that racial fetishization is not a benign preference but a phenomenon deeply rooted in patriarchal and racist history, intended to uphold power imbalances.
How is the specific experience of Black transgender women integrated into the paper?
The author highlights that Black transgender women face particularly high rates of violence and homelessness due to the intersection of sex, racism, and transphobia, often described as "multiple minority stress".
- Quote paper
- Lea Maurer (Author), 2021, The Usage of Sexuality to Express Racism, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1383220
