Citizen in the Colony: An Americanish Reading

Authors

  • Guillermo Rebollo-Gil Universidad del Este

Keywords:

Puerto Rico, Whiteness, Racism, Microaggressions, Claudia Rankine

Abstract

This article offers a critical reflection on the possibilities of broaching race, racism, and Whiteness in Puerto Rico in the college classroom. It does so by briefly recounting class discussion of poet Claudia Rankine’s critically acclaimed book Citizen: An American Lyric, which focuses on the quotidian manifestations of anti-Black prejudice and violence in the United States. By telling of and commenting on the difficulties in sustaining a sincere dialogue on Whiteness as part and parcel of institutionalized racism on the Island, the article sheds light on the unsettled character of these conversations.

Author Biography

Guillermo Rebollo-Gil, Universidad del Este

Guillermo Rebollo-Gil is an assistant professor and researcher at the School of Social and Human Sciences of Universidad del Este in Carolina, Puerto Rico. His scholarly work has been published in Race, Ethnicity & Education, Journal of Feminist Scholarship, Ethnic & Racial Studies, Sargasso, among others.

Published

2018-08-21

How to Cite

Rebollo-Gil, G. (2018). Citizen in the Colony: An Americanish Reading. Understanding and Dismantling Privilege, 8(1), 75–85. Retrieved from https://wpcjournal.com/article/view/16550

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 1 (2018): Understanding & Dismantling Privilege

Section

Tools & Strategies

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