Sister Citizen
WARNING
You are viewing an older version of the Yalebooks website. Please visit out new website with more updated information and a better user experience: https://www.yalebooks.com
Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America
Melissa V. Harris-Perry
View Inside
Format: ClothPrice: $28.00
e-book
Out of Print
Sister Citizen is on Facebook
Read an interview with Melissa Harris-Perry on the Yale Press Log
From a highly respected thinker on race, gender, and American politics, a groundbreaking consideration of Black women and how distorted stereotypes affect their political beliefs
“The insight and grace with which Harris-Perry tackles the thorny issue of African American women’s identity politics makes it a must-read.”—Jordan Kisner, Slate
“This book will change the conversation about the rights, responsibilities, and burdens of citizenship."—Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
“After I read Sister Citizen, two words sprang to my mind: Thank you.”—Patrik Henry Bass, Essence
Jezebel's sexual lasciviousness, Mammy's devotion, and Sapphire's outspoken anger—these are among the most persistent stereotypes that Black women encounter in contemporary American life. Hurtful and dishonest, such representations force African American women to navigate a virtual crooked room that shames them and shapes their experiences as citizens. Many respond by assuming a mantle of strength that may convince others, and even themselves, that they do not need help. But as a result, the unique political issues of Black women are often ignored and marginalized.
In this groundbreaking book, Melissa V. Harris-Perry uses multiple methods of inquiry, including literary analysis, political theory, focus groups, surveys, and experimental research, to understand more deeply Black women's political and emotional responses to pervasive negative race and gender images. Not a traditional political science work concerned with office-seeking, voting, or ideology, Sister Citizen instead explores how African American women understand themselves as citizens and what they expect from political organizing. Harris-Perry shows that the shared struggle to preserve an authentic self and secure recognition as a citizen links together Black women in America, from the anonymous survivors of Hurricane Katrina to former First Lady Michelle Obama.
Melissa V. Harris-Perry is the Maya Angelou Presidential Chair, Executive Director of the Pro Humanitate Institute, and founding director of the Anna Julia Cooper Center, at Wake Forest University. Her previous book, Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought, won the 2005 W. E. B. Du Bois Book Award from the National Conference of Black Political Scientists and 2005 Best Book Award from the Race and Ethnic Politics Section of the American Political Science Association.
Publication Date: September 20, 2011
10 b/w illus.
