bonilla-silva-2019-feeling-race-theorizing-the-racial-economy-of-emotions

Introduction

• Theme of presidential address: race and emotions.

• Quote from Frantz Fanon on the logic of racism.

Background and Context

• Author's background in racial theory; questioned why focus on emotions.

• Acknowledgment of prior structuralist beliefs regarding emotions.

• Personal experiences with race before full awareness of identity as a Black Puerto Rican.

Racialized Emotions (RE)

Definition

• Racialized emotions specific to societal constructs involving race.

• Not just an interaction product; can stem from observation and thought.

Importance

• Categorical significance in the emotional understanding of racialized existence.

• Collective experience among racial groups about emotional weight.

Structural Understanding of Racism

• Racism as a system rather than just individual prejudice.

• Historical interpretation needing to include emotional narratives.

• Dominance and subordination in racial systems driving emotion.

Call to Sociologists

• Urgent need for sociologists to validate emotions in analyses.

• Recommendation to address emotions beyond negativity; consider love and empathy too.

• Racism and emotions must inform sociological strategies against racial domination.

Theoretical Components for Racialized Emotions

1. Group-Based and Relational

   • Nature of emotions shaped by societal positions.

   • Whiteness connected with negative emotional responses towards racial Others.

2. Subjectivity Formation

   • Racial identities shaped by both practical and emotional experiences.

   • Interplay of individual agency and collective emotional norms.

3. Structural Implications

   • Emotional experiences related to societal constructs and populations.

   • Historical context necessary for understanding contemporary emotional responses.

Emotional Hierarchy

• Dominant white emotional responses established as authoritative; emotional stratification.

• Examples: White women's tears vs. tears of women of color in discussions.

• Emotional experiences not universally valid; whites' perceptions shape reactions.

Intersectionality of Emotions

• Emotional experiences intersect with race, class, and gender.

• Varying emotional labor expected based on intersectional identities.

• Black students and women showing different emotional strategies based on racial constructs.

Agency and Emotion

• Individual agency within groups dynamics; emotional responses not uniform.

• White fragility as a response to discomfort in racially charged environments.

Emotions in Racism Resistance and Domination

• Emotions as integral in both perpetuating and combatting racism.

• Examples of historical emotional responses in the context of notorious racial events.

Strategies for Moving Forward

1. Affective Politics of Inclusion

   • Advocating a shared emotional path towards equality.

2. Recognition of Historical Context

   • Need for acknowledgment of systemic racism and emotional histories.

3. Action Driven by Emotion

   • Anger and love as crucial elements for progressive change.

Conclusion

• Need for sociologists to engage with emotional narratives politically.

• Commitment to fostering a transformative, empathetic perspective.

• Call for collective confrontation of racial issues with a focus on emotional awareness.