drea5m's reviews
76 reviews

This book will challenge your current definitions and perspectives on assimilation, race, anti-racism, and proximity to Whiteness and how, to a certain extent, once communities of color adopt White repertoires (stereotypical beliefs, values, priorities, careers, levels of income), they are in some ways no longer perceived as Brown or immigrant. That is to say, assimilating and becoming Americanized positions communities in an in-between space where they are “Asian-ish:” neither fully Asian nor fully White. I believe this case study on highly-educated and white-collared families is very relevant to the discussions and populations at college campuses. I wonder what the children of affluent parents will prioritize in their cultural repertoire with their adulthood and decisions to start a family. 

This is a book about culture, authority/dominance, and colonial projects. Western societies have made the Orient as a political and cultural Other. The Orient’s culture is connected to power. Western representations of other cultures are integral to the narratative ownership and domination. It’s culture is not “representative and expressive of some nefarious “Western” imperialist plot to hold down the “Orient” world” (pg 12). The portrayal of the Orient as exotic, backward, or timeless in literature, art, and academic studies is a form of cultural representation that serves to legitimize Western control over the East. Culture becomes a tool for defining and regulating what is "civilized" and what is "barbaric." I recommend this book to those who want to engage with the cultural repertoires and political perspectives that are angled at Palestine. 

I will describe my journey reading Arendt’s The Human Condition with the words “fair/unfair”. I was introduced to this book last year from a friend who wanted to share a different take on ideas surrounding globalization, capitalism, and other histories of labor. My friend was sharing this book while we were in Accra, the capital of Ghana. He said this book deals with the big three aspects of human existence—labor, work, and action—exploring how humans interact with the world, create meaning, and shape political life. His reflection also included insight on whether or not we could or should fairly judge Hannah Arendt on her opinions and descriptions of enslavement, exploitation, and joy because 1. She’s dead, we’re never going to hear from her ever again. 2. It’s quite powerful and profound that Accra reminded him of Arendt’s book so it’s possible that societies far and wide are mirroring what Arendt wrote.