Anthony Siracusa on the Rhetoric of Violence

A few weeks ago, Rhodes graduate and current Vanderbilt PhD candidate Anthony Siracusa came to speak the rhetoric of violence within the framework of the history of Memphis.  Siracusa delivered a fascinating and thought provoking talk, covering just about everything during his 40+ minute overview.  One of the things from the evening that really stuck out to me was the way in which Anthony grounded his talk in a discussion of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.  It seems that the best way to frame any exploration into the violent aspects of hegemonic whiteness, especially in the context of white policing of black bodies and criminalization, is with a dive into the history of the slave trade in North America.  It’s a linear presentation structure that works very well…back in March, author Timothy Tyson used a very similar approach to begin his talk on his recent book the blood of Emmett Till, and it was effective in that context as well.

Another fascinating element of Siracusa’s talk was his use of the phrase “Politics of Being.”  This phrase wasn’t really fleshed out during the course of the night (I’m assuming I’ll just have to read one of Anthony’s books, which I’m sure are imminent), but I was fascinated with the way Siracusa linked the phrase to both the non-violent tactics of the civil rights era and also with the broad range of ideas that we have discussed in class that deal with the concept of prioritizing human space as not just survival but also activism.  This being said, I’m sure the “Politics of Being” has much more well defined parameters then the space I’ve carved out for it will allow, but nevertheless his use of the phrase certainly sparked my interest.  I’m excited to see where and how I encounter Siracusa’s work in the future.