Dehumanization and the Metaphysics of Genocide

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Dehumanization and the Metaphysics of Genocide DEHUMANIZATION AND THE METAPHYSICS OF GENOCIDE: A NEW THEORY FOR GENOCIDE PREVENTION by LAUREN EICHLER A DISSERTATION Presented to the Department of Philosophy and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy June 2019 DISSERTATION APPROVAL PAGE Student: Lauren Eichler Title: Dehumanization and the Metaphysics of Genocide: A New Theory for Genocide Prevention This dissertation has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in the Philosophy Department by: Scott Pratt Chairperson Scott Pratt Advisor Erin McKenna Core Member Alejandro Vallega Core Member Michelle Jacob Institutional Representative and Janet Woodruff-Borden Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Original approval signatures are on file with the University of Oregon Graduate School. Degree awarded June 2019 ii © 2019 Lauren Eichler iii DISSERTATION ABSTRACT Lauren Eichler Doctor of Philosophy Department of Philosophy June 2019 Title: Dehumanization and the Metaphysics of Genocide: A New Theory for Genocide Prevention I argue that dehumanization is a necessary condition of modern genocide, and that preventing dehumanization should be part of efforts to prevent genocide. Unlike other scholarship that addresses this issue, I hold that attending to the moral status and role of nonhuman animals in the process of dehumanization is integral to this effort. Throughout the history of Western philosophy, nonhuman animals have been used to define the human and, in dehumanization, provide the excuse for one group of humans to do violence to another. The absence of a concern for nonhuman animals from both dehumanization and genocide literature generally speaking needs to be rectified if new solutions for these problems are to be developed. Dehumanization is typically treated as an epistemological problem in which one person or group fails to recognize the humanity of the Other, taking the Other to be a subhuman animal. However, I hold that dehumanization and, subsequently, genocide, are possible because of the metaphysical commitments that render humans and nonhumans as fundamentally different and possessing of different moral and ontological statuses. I point to three metaphysical principles widely accepted within Western thought and culture that contribute to the logic of dehumanization: essentialism, purity, and human iv exceptionalism. I argue that these principles must be re-evaluated and eventually discarded. Current solutions to dehumanization such as rehumanization and human rights function within this metaphysical framework, maintaining an essential distinction between humans and other animals while retaining the notion that the human is superior to the animal. In response, I contend that we need a different set of metaphysical principles on which to base a practice of ethics and politics that would challenge this human/animal dualism, thereby significantly reducing the possibility of dehumanization and genocide as we know it. To do this, I draw on three metaphysical principles of Native American philosophy: diversity, relatedness, and nonhuman liveliness. I argue that the values of respect, recognition, reciprocity, and consent, which are present in Native American philosophies, stories, and pedagogies, can provide the basis for an ethics of relationality that affirms difference and nonhuman agency rather than sameness and human exceptionalism. v CURRICULUM VITAE NAME OF AUTHOR: Lauren Eichler GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED: University of Oregon, Eugene, OR Boston College, Brighton, MA Connecticut College, New London, CT DEGREES AWARDED: Doctor of Philosophy, 2019, University of Oregon Master of Arts, Philosophy, 2010, Boston College Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy and English, 2006, Connecticut College AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST: Social and Political Philosophy Native American Philosophy Feminist Philosophy Genocide Studies PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Copywriter, Vistaprint, Inc., 2007–2012 Teaching Assistant, Department of Philosophy and Department of Humanities, University of Oregon, 2012-2018 Research Assistant, Office of the Provost, University of Oregon, 2018-2019 Lecturer, Philosophy, Old Dominion University, starting fall 2019 GRANTS, AWARDS, AND HONORS: Graduate Teaching Fellowship, 2012 to present current Philosophy Matters Prize, “Ecocide is Genocide,” Department of Philosophy, 2019 vi Mellow Award, “Rethinking Conservation for Inclusivity,” Society for the Advancement of Philosophy, 2019 Inter-American Philosophy Award, “Countering Dehumanization in Genocide,” Society for the Advancement of Philosophy, 2017 Anita and Eugene Tehennete Prize in Philosophy, Connecticut College, 2006 CONNsharp Research Grant, Connecticut College, 2005 PUBLICATIONS: Eichler, Lauren. “Sacred Truths, Fables and Falsehoods: Intersections between Native American and Feminist Logics.” APA Newsletter on Native American and Indigenous Philosophy 18, no. 1 (Autumn 2018): 4-11. Eichler, Lauren and David Baumeister. “Hunting for Justice: An Indigenous Critique of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.” Environment and Society: Advances in Research 9 (2018): 79-94. doi:10.3167/ares.2018.090106 Eichler, Lauren. “Countering Dehumanization in Genocide: Paulo Freire and Thomas Norton-Smith on Humans and Animals.” The Inter-American Journal of Philosophy 9, no.1 (Spring 2018). http://ijp.tamu.edu/blog/?page_id=857 vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation project has been the culmination of over ten years of grappling with my personal relationship to the Holocaust and with trying to think through the construction of the concepts the human and the animal. Along the way, many people have been instrumental in my ability to complete this project. The writing of this dissertation topic was largely due to a talk I attended by Thomas Norton-Smith at the 2013 Summer Institute for American Philosophy. I had been working through Levinas’ ethics and worrying over how to respond to his exclusion of nonhuman animals when I heard Norton-Smith talk about Native American perspectives on nonhuman agency. My trajectory through graduate school was changed thereafter, and his work has become central to the development of my project. Initial thanks go to my Professors at Connecticut College and Boston College who encouraged my pursuit of philosophy, especially Kristin Pfefferkorn, Kalpana Sheshadri, and Vanessa Rumble for being incredible models of what women can achieve in philosophy and academia. I owe a significant amount of gratitude to the professors and graduate students in the Philosophy Department at the University of Oregon for creating a collegial yet rigorous space that pushed me through incredible courses and amazing conversations to develop my research down new and rich channels of thought. I am especially grateful to my committee members, Michelle Jacob, Alejandro Vallega, and Erin McKenna. Michelle has provided inspiration and encouragement as I grappled with how to respectfully incorporate Indigenous philosophies and pedagogical methods. The many courses I took with Alejandro were part of the impetus behind my research and gave me the methodological tools to develop my thought. Erin, who stepped in to my viii secondary advisor, held me to a standard that pushed me to deliver the best I could. Finally, I am especially grateful to my advisor and chair, Scott Pratt. Scott took me under his wing shortly after I arrived at University of Oregon, introduced me to American Pragmatism and Native American Philosophy and was the person who most influenced the trajectory of my studies. Though my dissertation project at times felt vast, overwhelming, and even daunting, Scott’s faith in my abilities and his enthusiasm for my work gave me the strength and confidence to persevere. Special thanks also go to my professional support network, my friends, and my family. I would like to thank Kim Donahee, my massage therapist, for giving my back, neck, and wrists the pampering they needed. I would also like to thank Josephine Pruch, my therapist, for listening and teaching me how to be kinder to myself. Paria Akbar- Ahkgari, Jon LaRochelle, Maggie Newton, Bonnie Sheehey, and Rebekah Sinclair have been incredible friends, colleagues, and cheerleaders. Our regular writing sessions, conversations, game nights, and weight lifting provided much-need motivation, distraction, and fulfillment. My cats, Frisky and Roxanne, have both been sources of joy and love who never failed to brighten my day. I would also like to thank my parents, Herbert and Linda Eichler, for their ongoing love and support, for always being proud of me, and for encouraging me to pursue the path I chose for myself. Finally, I would like to thank my partner, Jeff Langevin. Even though the stress of graduate school at times felt overwhelming, our time in Oregon has been one of the most wonderful periods of our lives together. It is with great happiness that I can say that we have celebrated our ten- year wedding anniversary and that I have completed this dissertation in the same month. I look forward to the next stage of our adventure together. ix For my grandparents, Gabriella Schon Eichler and Morris Eichler x TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 II. DEFINING GENOCIDE......................................................................................... 14 Two Definitions
Recommended publications
  • Hate Speech and Persecution: a Contextual Approach
    V anderbilt Journal of Transnational Law VOLUME 46 March 2013 NUMBER 2 Hate Speech and Persecution: A Contextual Approach Gregory S. Gordon∗ ABSTRACT Scholarly work on atrocity-speech law has focused almost exclusively on incitement to genocide. But case law has established liability for a different speech offense: persecution as a crime against humanity (CAH). The lack of scholarship regarding this crime is puzzling given a split between the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia on the issue of whether hate speech alone can serve as an actus reus for CAH-persecution. This Article fills the gap in the literature by analyzing the split between the two tribunals and concluding that hate speech alone may be the basis for CAH- persecution charges. First, this is consistent with precedent going as far back as the Nuremberg trials. Second, it takes into account the CAH requirement that the speech be uttered as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population. Third, the defendant must be aware that his speech ∗ Associate Professor of Law, University of North Dakota School of Law, and Director, UND Center for Human Rights and Genocide Studies; former Prosecutor, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda; J.D., UC Berkeley School of Law. The author would like to thank his research assistants, Lilie Schoenack and Moussa Nombre, for outstanding work. The piece also benefited greatly from the insights of Kevin Jon Heller, Joseph Rikhof, and Benjamin Brockman-Hawe. Thanks, as always, to my family, especially my wife, whose incredible support made this article possible.
    [Show full text]
  • An O Ve Rv Iew 10 Points on Religious Persecution
    PM GLYNN INSTITUTE An overview 10 points on Religious Persecution CRICOS registered provider: 00004G Religious freedom: a question of survival “In the Central African Republic, religious Many instances of religious persecution freedom is not a concept; it is a question have been underreported or neglected of survival. The idea is not whether one completely, especially in Western media. is more or less comfortable with the 10 points on Religious Persecution is ideological foundations underpinning intended to draw attention to the issue religious freedom; rather, the issue is and raise awareness on the plight faced how to avoid a bloodbath!” For Cardinal by many, most often minority religious Dieudonné Nzapalainga, the Archbishop groups. of Bangui in the Central African Republic, At a time when advocacy for minority this is a sad and harsh reality; a reality that groups is increasing, it would be is faced by millions of people on a global encouraging to see similar support for scale today. religious minority groups who face When religious freedom is undervalued, persecution because of their faith and ignored, discouraged or targeted, religious beliefs. persecution sometimes follows. Current views on the importance and relevance of religious freedom as a human right are varied and complex, however what can be agreed upon is that persecution is never the right course of action, regardless of the reason. Cover image: Original iron cross from the grave of St. Mary MacKillop 1909, late-19th century, iron and timber. Australian Catholic University Art Collection Overleaf: John Coburn, The First Day: The Spirit of of God brooded over the waters, 1977.
    [Show full text]
  • Making Decisions from a Distance: the Impact of Technological
    Making Decisions From a Distance: The Impact of Technological Mediation on Riskiness and Dehumanization Min Kyung Lee1, Nathaniel Fruchter1, Laura Dabbish1,2 1Human-Computer Interaction Institute, 2Heinz College Carnegie Mellon University {mklee, fruchter, dabbish}@cmu.edu ABSTRACT Are people risk-seeking and more dehumanizing at a Telepresence means business people can make deals in distance? Are certain people more risk seeking and other countries, doctors can give remote medical advice, dehumanizing at a distance than others? and soldiers can rescue someone from thousands of miles away. When interaction is mediated, people are removed While telepresence technologies support sharing and from and lack context about the person they are making collaboration across geographical and temporal boundaries, decisions about. In this paper, we explore the impact of decision makers are now decontextualized from their technological mediation on risk and dehumanization in decision targets. Research in social psychology and decision-making. We conducted a laboratory experiment decision science suggests that this mediation and de- involving medical treatment decisions. The results suggest contextualization could create distance in how decision that technological mediation influences decision making, makers construe, feel toward, and engage with remote but its influence depends on an individual’s self-construal: people and events [45]. This perceived distance may be participants who saw themselves as defined through their exacerbated by intrinsic differences among cultural relationships (interdependent self-construal) recommended dimensions, such as styles of self-construal [10] as previous riskier and more painful treatments in video conferencing work has shown that culture changes the nature of mediated than when face-to-face.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes Addressing the Security Needs of Muslim Communities
    Understanding Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes Addressing the Security Needs of Muslim Communities A Practical Guide Understanding Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes Addressing the Security Needs of Muslim Communities A Practical Guide Published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Ul. Miodowa 10 00-251 Warsaw Poland www.osce.org/odihr © OSCE/ODIHR 2020 All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may be freely used and copied for educational and other non-commercial purposes, provided that any such reproduction is accompanied by an acknowledgement of the OSCE/ ODIHR as the source. ISBN 978-83-66089-93-8 Designed by Homework Printed in Poland by Centrum Poligrafii Contents Foreword v Executive Summary vii Introduction 1 PART ONE: Understanding the challenge 7 I. Hate crimes against Muslims in the OSCE region: context 8 II. Hate crimes against Muslims in the OSCE region: key features 12 III. Hate crimes against Muslims in the OSCE region: impact 21 PART TWO: International standards on intolerance against Muslims 29 I. Commitments and other international obligations 30 II. Key principles 37 1. Rights based 37 2. Victim focused 38 3. Non-discriminatory 41 4. Participatory 41 5. Shared 42 6. Collaborative 43 7. Empathetic 43 8. Gender sensitive 43 9. Transparent 44 10. Holistic 45 PART THREE: Responding to anti-Muslim hate crimes and the security challenges of Muslim communities 47 Practical steps 48 1. Acknowledging the problem 48 2. Raising awareness 51 3. Recognizing and recording the anti-Muslim bias motivation of hate crimes 53 4. Providing evidence of the security needs of Muslim communities by working with them to collect hate crime data 58 5.
    [Show full text]
  • Forgiveness 52-With Refs
    Uganda’s Road to Peace May Run through the River of Forgiveness: Designing Playable Fictions 1 to Teach Complex Values Sasha Barab, Indiana University, USA Tyler Dodge, Indiana University, USA Edward Gentry, Indiana University, USA Asmalina Saleh, Indiana University, USA Patrick Pettyjohn, Indiana University, USA ABSTRACT While gaming technologies are typically leveraged for entertainment purposes, our experience and aspiration is to use them to encourage engagement with global, politically-sensitive issues. This chapter focuses on our game design concerning the struggle of Uganda, a design that allows players to experience the atrocities and inhumane conditions and, by illuminating such values as peace and justice, helps them more generally to appreciate the moral complexity of a humane intervention. Rather than theoretical constructs to be debated in the abstract, the ethical struggles involved in determining a humane intervention in the game setting are grounded in different Non-Player Characters’ perspectives and operationalized within the underlying game dynamics. Beyond reporting on the designed game, the chapter draws the reader into the struggles of designing such an ethically contentious game. KEYWORDS curricula, design, designer, ethics, fiction, game, identity, immersion, interactivity, learning, play, player, role, story, storyline, values, videogame 1- To appear in K. Schrier & D. Gibson (ed.) Ethics and game design: Teaching values through play (Vol. II). IGI Global, Hershey, PA. INTRODUCTION One of the most persistent problems of this period is how to reconcile conflicting goals in the aftermath of severe criminality…. The regime responsible for crimes against humanity or genocidal behaviors [remains] as part of a bargain by which its impunity was “purchased” in exchange for its voluntarily relinquishment of power (Falk, 2000, pp.
    [Show full text]
  • IRFA (International Religious Freedom Act)
    REFUGEE, ASYLUM, AND INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS DIRECTORATE (RAIO) RAIO DIRECTORATE – OFFICER TRAINING RAIO Combined Training Program INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ACT (IRFA) AND RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION TRAINING MODULE DATE (see schedule of revisions): 12/20/2019 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) and Religious Persecution This Page Left Blank Intentionally , USCIS: RAIO Directorate – Officer Training DATE (see schedule of changes): 12/20/2019 RAIO Combined Training Program Page 2 of 49 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) and Religious Persecution RAIO Directorate – Officer Training / RAIO Combined Training Program INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ACT (IRFA) AND RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION Training Module MODULE DESCRIPTION: This module introduces you to the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) and the responsibilities that the Act creates for adjudicating protection claims. The training you receive will also be useful in adjudicating immigration benefits, petitions, and other immigration-related requests. Through reading and discussing country conditions information, you will increase your awareness of religious freedom issues around the world. Through discussion and practical exercises, you will learn how to conduct an interview and adjudicate a claim with a religious freedom issue. TERMINAL PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE(S) Given a request for protection (an asylum or refugee application, or a reasonable fear or credible fear screening1) with a religious freedom issue, you will apply IRFA and case law.0) ENABLING LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. Summarize the IRFA requirements for RAIO officers. 2. Explain the statutory and regulatory requirements for consideration of protection claims and benefits requests involving religious freedom and religious persecution. 3. Summarize legal rulings that must be followed or that provide guidance when making decisions based on religious freedom or religious persecution.
    [Show full text]
  • UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech
    UNITED NATIONS STRATEGY AND PLAN OF ACTION ON HATE SPEECH Foreword Around the world, we are seeing a disturbing groundswell of xenophobia, racism and intolerance – including rising anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim hatred and persecution of Christians. Social media and other forms of communication are being exploited as platforms for bigotry. Neo-Nazi and white supremacy movements are on the march. Public discourse is being weaponized for political gain with incendiary rhetoric that stigmatizes and dehumanizes minorities, migrants, refugees, women and any so-called “other”. This is not an isolated phenomenon or the loud voices of a few people on the fringe of society. Hate is moving into the mainstream – in liberal democracies and authoritarian systems alike. And with each broken norm, the pillars of our common humanity are weakened. Hate speech is a menace to democratic values, social stability and peace. As a matter of principle, the United Nations must confront hate speech at every turn. Silence can signal indifference to bigotry and intolerance, even as a situation escalates and the vulnerable become victims. Tackling hate speech is also crucial to deepen progress across the United Nations agenda by helping to prevent armed conflict, atrocity crimes and terrorism, end violence against women and other serious violations of human rights, and promote peaceful, inclusive and just societies. Addressing hate speech does not mean limiting or prohibiting freedom of speech. It means keeping hate speech from escalating into something more dangerous, particularly incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence, which is prohibited under international law. The United Nations has a long history of mobilizing the world against hatred of all kinds through wide-ranging action to defend human rights and advance the rule of law.
    [Show full text]
  • SOCIAL DISTANCES of WHITES to RACIAL OR ETHNIC Minoritiesl Nina Michalikova Texas Woman
    SOCIAL DISTANCES OF WHITES TO RACIAL OR ETHNIC MINORITIESl Nina Michalikova Texas Woman 's University Philip Q. Yang Texas Woman 's University Social distance has been studied by researchers since Emory Bogar­ dus (1925) first developed the social distance scale almost nine decades ago. Social distance refers to "the grades and degrees of understanding and intimacy which characterize pre-social and social relations gener­ ally" (Park 1924). As social distance increases, people tend to distance themselves from members of another racial or ethnic group or exclude them from their lives (Yancey 2003). An examination of social distances between different racial or ethnic groups in the United States can help better understand racial and ethnic relations, conflict, cooperation, and alliance. Previous research on social distance almost exclusively focuses on the social distance between blacks and whites. Results are mixed. Often based on indirect measures of social distance, many studies suggest that the social distance of whites to African Americans has decreased over time, even though ethnic prejudice has not vanished (e.g., Firebaugh and Davis 1988; Schuman et al. 1997; Steeh and Schuman 1992). Today whites are more willing to live in the same neighborhood with African Americans, to accept interracial marriage, to report having a black person as a close friend, and to vote for a black president (Alba, Rumbaut, and Marotz 2005; Healey 2004; Jaynes and Williams 2000; Ladd 2002; Yan­ cey 1999). Findings from existing studies indicate improvements in school and residential integration of blacks. For example, the percentage of whites who object to sending their children to schools where the ma­ jority of students were black decreased from 67 percent in 1958 to 34 percent in 1990; the percentage of whites who would definitely move out if blacks moved into their neighborhood in great numbers also declined from 50 percent in 1958 to 18 percent in 1990 (Schuman et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Geokartenbrief 378
    New maps, atlases and Neue Karten,Karten, AtlantenAtlanten und books comprising all Handbücher aus allenallen subjects of regional geogeo-- Themenbereichen der graphy, at the same time regionalen Geographie,Geographie, supplement service to zugleich NachtragedienstNachtragedienst Geo GeoKataloaGeoKatalog 2. zum GeoKatalog 2. Karl No. 373788 / 379379 2017-1/22017-1/2 Frequency ofof publication:publication: quarterly as aa digitaldigital newsletter.newsletter. 737 237 ';‘-% .f :• 736 236 -7 7. 03"2) 735 235 2016 - trrilletTelietT4311, T 255 2017 - 1p5n rpvis 1137y 201.7 - n1 me-11313) 205 Map extractextract from the new map series:series: "Yisra'el"Yisra'el -- IsraelIsrael -- TopographicTopographic Map Map 1:25 1:25 000000", ", see p. 1515 We trusttrust thatthat ourour customerscustomers willwill IILHLH —– InternationalesInternationales understand that sometimessometimes therethere LandkartenhausLandkartenhaus may be priceprice alterations. GeoCenter GmbH Wir bittenbitten umum VerständnisVerständnis dafür,dafür, Kurze Straße 40 dass wirwir unsuns Preisänderungen Preisänderungen D-70794D-70794 FilderstadtFilderstadt vorbehalten müssen. Germany www.ilhwww.ilh-stuttgart.de-stuttgart.de SKETCH MAP OF GEOGRAPHICAL ROUGH CLASSIFICATION Includedlncluded inin thisthis dassificationclassification are: 100100 Earth, 730 Oceans,Oceans, 900 Space.Space. For individual areas see GeoKatalog 2, sections 010,0f 0, 011,0l l, andand redred dividers.dividers. KARTENSKIZZE DER GEOGRAPHISCHEN GROBEINTEILUNG Aus derder SkizzeSkizze nichtnicht ersichtlichersichtlich sind: 100100 Erde, 730730 Ozeane,Ozeane, 900 WeltallWeltalL Einzelne GebieteGebbte siehe GeoKatalog 2, TeileTeile 010, 011,0l l, andand rotesrotes GriffregisterGriffregster 71O (t- / I /fi .., GeoKatalog 2 Spring // SummerSummer 20172017 • page 1 • Geosciences GeoKartenbrief 373788 // 379379 Welcome to GeoKartenbrief 373788 / 379 which lists new general and geogeoscientfficscientific maps and atlases made avallableavailable since January 2012017.7. All ftemsitems contained in GeoKartenbrief are availableavallable from ILH.
    [Show full text]
  • Exposing Minstrelsy and Racial Representation Within American Tap Dance Performances of The
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Masks in Disguise: Exposing Minstrelsy and Racial Representation within American Tap Dance Performances of the Stage, Screen, and Sound Cartoon, 1900-1950 A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Culture and Performance by Brynn Wein Shiovitz 2016 © Copyright by Brynn Wein Shiovitz 2016 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Masks in Disguise: Exposing Minstrelsy and Racial Representation within American Tap Dance Performances of the Stage, Screen, and Sound Cartoon, 1900-1950 by Brynn Wein Shiovitz Doctor of Philosophy in Culture and Performance University of California, Los Angeles, 2016 Professor Susan Leigh Foster, Chair Masks in Disguise: Exposing Minstrelsy and Racial Representation within American Tap Dance Performances of the Stage, Screen, and Sound Cartoon, 1900-1950, looks at the many forms of masking at play in three pivotal, yet untheorized, tap dance performances of the twentieth century in order to expose how minstrelsy operates through various forms of masking. The three performances that I examine are: George M. Cohan’s production of Little Johnny ii Jones (1904), Eleanor Powell’s “Tribute to Bill Robinson” in Honolulu (1939), and Terry- Toons’ cartoon, “The Dancing Shoes” (1949). These performances share an obvious move away from the use of blackface makeup within a minstrel context, and a move towards the masked enjoyment in “black culture” as it contributes to the development of a uniquely American form of entertainment. In bringing these three disparate performances into dialogue I illuminate the many ways in which American entertainment has been built upon an Africanist aesthetic at the same time it has generally disparaged the black body.
    [Show full text]
  • Genocide, Memory and History
    AFTERMATH GENOCIDE, MEMORY AND HISTORY EDITED BY KAREN AUERBACH AFTERMATH AFTERMATH GENOCIDE, MEMORY AND HISTORY EDITED BY KAREN AUERBACH Aftermath: Genocide, Memory and History © Copyright 2015 Copyright of the individual chapters is held by the chapter’s author/s. Copyright of this edited collection is held by Karen Auerbach. All rights reserved. Apart from any uses permitted by Australia’s Copyright Act 1968, no part of this book may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the copyright owners. Inquiries should be directed to the publisher. Monash University Publishing Matheson Library and Information Services Building 40 Exhibition Walk Monash University Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia www.publishing.monash.edu Monash University Publishing brings to the world publications which advance the best traditions of humane and enlightened thought. Monash University Publishing titles pass through a rigorous process of independent peer review. www.publishing.monash.edu/books/agmh-9781922235633.html Design: Les Thomas ISBN: 978-1-922235-63-3 (paperback) ISBN: 978-1-922235-64-0 (PDF) ISBN: 978-1-876924-84-3 (epub) National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry: Title: Aftermath : genocide, memory and history / editor Karen Auerbach ISBN 9781922235633 (paperback) Series: History Subjects: Genocide. Genocide--Political aspects. Collective memory--Political aspects. Memorialization--Political aspects. Other Creators/Contributors: Auerbach, Karen, editor. Dewey Number: 304.663 CONTENTS Introduction ...............................................
    [Show full text]
  • Applying Construal Level Theory to Communication Strategies for Participatory Sustainable Development
    Applying Construal Level Theory to Communication Strategies for Participatory Sustainable Development D.H. Strongheart Florence Obison Fabio Bordoni School of Engineering Blekinge Institute of Technology Karlskrona, Sweden Thesis submitted for completion of Master of Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability, Blekinge Institute of Technology, Karlskrona, Sweden. Abstract: To the vast majority of people, the terms “sustainability” and “sustainable development” are unfamiliar, and, when they are recognized, there is still a great deal of interpretability as to their significance. Since no consensus exists regarding these terms, communication efforts to promote action and awareness among citizens must invariably “frame” the issue of sustainable development in one way or another. By and large, most communication strategies promote small private-sphere actions relevant to patterns of consumption. While these small actions are helpful, participatory, collective, public-sphere activism towards sustainability is much more potent and desirable. In attempting to engage this type of participatory action, communicators must understand the psychological barriers that are likely to confront their efforts. Communication professionals recognize that one such barrier, that of perceived, or, psychological distance, from issues of non-sustainability is especially pernicious. This paper attempts to apply Construal Level Theory (CLT), which provides “an account of how psychological distance influences individuals’ thoughts and behavior” (Trope et al. 2007) to the design of communication strategies for participatory sustainable development. After providing a thorough review of CLT, the authors examine the many ways that the theory can contribute to the design of communication strategies for participatory sustainable development. Keywords: Construal Level Theory, psychological distance, high construal mindset, framing, participatory sustainable development.
    [Show full text]