Not Quite White: White Trash and the Boundaries of Whiteness
Contents:
Maybe because, as a cancer patient, I feel very fucked-with by outside forces lately, even if I've signed consent forms. The book, which is slim and one of the quickest academic reads you'll find, does an excellent job of showing how the white trash "stigmatype" came to be made and remade. But I frequently found myself thinking, "Okay, now we know how the negative story got perpetuated--but what was the real story?
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If poor whites weren't lazy, shiftless sluts, what were their actual lives like? But this one does what it does in a highly compelling manner. Nov 28, Harvey Smith rated it really liked it. Very interesting scholarly research about the meaning of "poor white trash". Once you get beyond the "thesis" writing style of the author, it's a fascinating read. By "thesis" writing style, it's written in a style known to academia thesis writing.
There are reasons for the term "poor white trash", and the book spells it out. It's not about laziness, or slovenliness. It's about being in a situation where you have very limited opportunity for upward change, if any opportunity. Poor holds you down. Not being well parented holds you down. Surprisingly, disease, in the form of a hookworm epidemic in the south holds you down. This book is well worth a read. Sep 09, David Ward rated it liked it Shelves: Most of the behaviors attributed to "poor white trash" were, according to the author, attributable to hookworm, which is associated with eating dirt and spending much time close to the soil.
Jan 21, Marlin rated it really liked it. The study separates the history of the term white trash into four chapters starting in the late 17th century and ending in the 's. I would've liked to have seen Wray's input on what is considered "white trash" today really a whole chapter on honey boo boo alone would've been phenomenal but his research leading up to the present is top notch. Apr 13, Melanie rated it really liked it Shelves: Important in lots of ways, not excluding the fact that the pathologized poor white is, quite literally, family.
Oct 17, Dr. It's a very necessary book, especially now. I encourage everyone who cares a about the future direction in the States to dig deeply into the past and discover how groups become both racialized and thus marginalized. I am currently reading it again. Apr 23, Ronna rated it it was ok. More abandoned than finished Very informative, very well-researched, but dry. May 14, Precious McKenzie added it.
Scholarly analysis of whiteness and the poor and working classes.
Interesting and unusual approach to race studies. Race Relations at the Margins: Here's how restrictions apply. Start reading Not Quite White: White Trash and the Boundaries of Whiteness on your Kindle in under a minute.
Not Quite White: White Trash and the Boundaries of Whiteness
Don't have a Kindle? Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Read reviews that mention white trash white people good book america south class research subject social whiteness race. Showing of 16 reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now.
Please try again later. This is a very scholarly and well-researched book on white trash culture and class in America.
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Low-class whites have always been a subject of scorn and ridicule and have long served as a measure of exclusion based on whiteness. Those fitting this characterization were not accepted by the higher classes of whites who drew clear, segregated boundaries.
Not Quite White: White Trash and the Boundaries of Whiteness
The characterizations devolved into stereotypes, especially in the South where the perils of pellagra and hook worm infestations took their toll. White trash were stigmatized as lazy, indolent, and immoral. But a good part of their problem stemmed from poor health caused by the ravishment of hook worms. White trash have been despised and mistreated since the time of indentured servitude in the s.
Many descendants of early white trash have a legacy of poverty and dysfunction. The South has always been a region devoted to exploitation of the less fortunate and many generations have been held back, even up to the modern period.. This interesting sociological study informs the reader of their history and social-economic handicap. The book is recommended for those wishing to get a better understanding of class and social stratification in America.
Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. I was not aware that so much research was done for so long on poor white people in the south.
Helps me understand America. Thoroughly researched and illuminating. This book is both engaging and academically sound. Matt Wray draws from history, sociology, and his own life experience to describe the American relationship with the "other" kind of white people. This is an amazingly helpful book to learn the history of low-class white. The book totally reoriented how I think race in America.
The first couple chapters feel derivative but the chapters on Eugenics and Hookworm are well done and provide an interesting point of analysis for understanding the development of whiteness. I used this in class on Race in the Americas and it was very popular with the students.
White trash. The phrase conjures up images of dirty rural folk who are poor, ignorant, violent, and incestuous. But where did this stigmatizing phrase come from?. Not Quite White: White Trash and the Boundaries of Whiteness. Author(s): Matt Wray: Published: November Pages: Illustrations: 18 illustrations.
This book appears to be aimed at academia as the desired audience. A significant portion of the first half of the book seemed to be making sure it hit all the key ideas that the instructor wanted addressed in the class research project. The subject material is very interesting to me, as I'm a "white trash graduate" and was hoping to read some insightful history and commentary on the subject.
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