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.
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