Ariela J. Gross

History of Race in the US

This is an academic book about the history of race in the US. Ariela J. Gross, Professor of Law and History at University of Southern California analyzes trials of the past in which racial identity was a determining factor. Through these trials, she is able to piece together a disturbing if not expected trend of race as the basis of social status throughout America's history.

That is not to say that the theories to determine racial dissimilarity were static, but rather they morphed to fit the fundamental notion of citizenship as whiteness. Central to her discussion of a racialized America is the idea that race as a social category is not an end in and of itself, but rather a function of the hierarchy of power. As Gross argues, "determining racial identity was about raising some people up that chain to put others down; enslaving some people to free others; taking land from some people to give to others; robbing people of their dignitiy to give other a sense of supremacy" (p. 9).

The chapters in the book are organized thematically and correspond roughly to the different discriminations experienced by the many peoples. Throughout, Gross explores the boundaries of what most would think race really means in a "common sense" sort of way, she problematizes the social contructs which have restricted so much of the way American society was organized. In doing so, those racial outliers are proof of the absurdity of such a system.

Though most of the book is historical, Gross asks some very thought-provoking questions along the way, such as: "The persistence of racially ambiguous communities challenges the notion of the United States as a binary racial system, but it also calls into question the naive belief that the mixing of races will eliminate racial hiearchy or injustice" (p. 138).

Gross writes very colloquially which means that most people should be able to understand her arguments. The subject matter is complex and therefore readers without a basic knowledge of American history will find it difficult to follow. Overall, this is a highly engaging book which covers a controversial but important topic in the history of the US.… (meer)