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A review by johanna_knivsberg
White Negroes: When Cornrows Were in Vogue ... and Other Thoughts on Cultural Appropriation by Lauren Michele Jackson
5.0
This book deserves all the good words: it is poignant, illuminating and powerful. I appreciate this book not solely because of its beautiful writing and sharp social commentary, but because of how Lauren Michele Jackson approaches her arguments. Her way of highlighting connections and crafting arguments goes further than teaching anti-racist language, in that it also leaves the reader with a larger approach to understanding power dynamics and mechanisms such as cultural appropriation.
It reframes appropriation through the lense of power, and discusses things like how white women in the music industry seek to regain their own bodily autonomy by associating themselves with blackness. It also discusses : hipsters, meme-culture, Paula Deen and more. Of course, the overarching themes might not be new to most readers. You might even be tired of having to listen to people fight about it. But Lauren Michele Jackson approaches cultural appropriation it in a way that is infinitely more fruitful than most commentators. In short this is a read I whole-heartedly recommend!
It reframes appropriation through the lense of power, and discusses things like how white women in the music industry seek to regain their own bodily autonomy by associating themselves with blackness. It also discusses : hipsters, meme-culture, Paula Deen and more. Of course, the overarching themes might not be new to most readers. You might even be tired of having to listen to people fight about it. But Lauren Michele Jackson approaches cultural appropriation it in a way that is infinitely more fruitful than most commentators. In short this is a read I whole-heartedly recommend!