A practical example of the social construct of race


Dropdown box asking for my race or ethnicity. The options are Malay, Chinese, Indian, or other.

I've been reading lots of books about race, justice, and history. One of the things which confused me when I started this journey was the notion that race is a construct. But then I started reading about how Blumenbach literally invented the concept of distinct human races. And about how the discredited "Science" of race […]

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Book Review: Shakespeare and Immigration - Espinosa & Ruiter


Book cover featuring handwritten words from Shakespeare.

This is selection of essays looking - as the title suggests - at the relationship between Shakespeare and immigration. It's always worth re-examining our relationship with "classic" works. There are some very obvious immigration issues in Shakespeare - and this book does a plausible job of uncovering some of them. It also takes us through […]

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Book Review: Ira Aldridge - The African Roscius by Bernth Lindfors


An African American man in a 19th Centrury portrait.

Ira Aldridge -- a black New Yorker -- was one of nineteenth-century Europe's greatest actors. By the time he began touring in Europe he was principally a Shakespearean actor, playing such classic characters as Shylock, Macbeth, Richard III, and King Lear. Although his frequent public appearances made him the most visible black man in the […]

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Book Review: The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Race - Ayanna Thompson


A young, black actor, dressed in modern military clothing, performs a scene from Shakespeare.

The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Race shows teachers and students how and why Shakespeare and race are inseparable. Moving well beyond Othello, the collection invites the reader to understand racialized discourses, rhetoric, and performances in all of Shakespeare's plays, including the comedies and histories. Race is presented through an intersectional approach with chapters that […]

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Book Review: What White People Can Do Next - From Allyship to Coalition by Emma Dabiri


Book cover with pretty flowers on it.

When it comes to racial justice, how do we transform demonstrations of support into real and meaningful change? With intellectual rigour and razor-sharp wit, Emma Dabiri cuts through the haze of online discourse to offer clear advice. This was a refreshing and necessary book to read. Refreshing because so much of the discourse on race […]

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