Race and Representation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Race and Representation - Essay Example At the same time the celebration has its own pit falls as it might retrogress into violence and killing at the slightest trigger. "This is a delicate situation, and â€Å"race† remains fissile material." (Gilroy, 2004, p. 14). There have been many studies centered on most races of the world. But the images of whiteness have not been placed under the microscope as much as other images of race especially that of blackness. The purpose of this study is to make a cursory glance of the images of whiteness that evolved over the years. Representation and study of racial images or stereotypes are having many sensitive issues. The visual representation of racial stereotypes might force people to re-live and freshen old memories, which might jeopardize inter-racial relation. However, academic pursuits cannot be neglected for the sensitivity of a few. In fact the study might throw light on the subliminal foundations for the formation of stereotypes and provide us the escape routes for the mounting racial and ethnic tensions that has resulted in the loss of many human lives. The idea of race itself is questionable, as Appiah has put it: There is nothing in the world that can do all we ask race to do for us†¦. Talk of race is particularly distressing for those of us who take culture seriously. For, when race works-in places where â€Å"gross differences† of morphology are correlated with â€Å"subtle differences† of temperament, belief, and intention-it works as an attempt at metonym for culture, and it does so only at the price of biologizing what is culture, ideology. (Appiah 1992:45) The central thesis of this paper is the essential nature of the image of whiteness as a historical construct developed over many years similar to its foil blackness. This study focuses on the works of Richard Dyer. Whiteness is essentially a body of knowledge, ideologies, behavioral norms, and many practices constructed over the history