Chapter 6 Discussion Questions

Chapter 6 Discussion Questions

"Le Peril Noir": The Racialization of Political Status

  1. In your county, what are some of the common assumptions that are made about an individual's legal status or socioeconomic class based on their race or ethnicity? How do these assumptions impact the daily lives of racial-minority citizens, racial-majority citizens, racial-minority non-citizens, and racial-majority non-citizens differently?
  1. How do dress, language, accent, location, mode of transit, and bodily comportment impact readings of race? What other factors might shape who an individual is “read” to be by those around them? How can members of racial majority and racial minority groups use these factors to consciously shape how others “read” their identity? What are the limitations of individual agency in these scenarios?
  1. Can legal status (the categorization of individuals as immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees, or citizens) be understood as a new form of racialization? In what ways does it differ from traditional forms of racialization, and in what ways is it similar?
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