Sister Citizen, Melissa V. HarrisPerry
Sister Citizen, Melissa V. HarrisPerry
1 Rating(s)
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Sister Citizen
Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America

Author: Melissa V. Harris-Perry

Narrator: Lisa Reneé Pitts

Unabridged: 11 hr 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 03/19/2012


Synopsis

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 is an examination of 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 citizens links together black women in America, from the anonymous survivors of Hurricane Katrina to the current First Lady of the United States.

About Melissa V. Harris-Perry

Melissa V. Harris-Perry is a professor of political science at Tulane University, where she is founding director of the Anna Julia Cooper Project on Gender, Race, and Politics in the South. She is the author of Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought, which 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. She is also a contributor to MSNBC and a frequent guest on the Rachel Maddow Show and The Last Word. She is a columnist for The Nation magazine, as well as a regular commentator for many print and radio sources in the U.S. and abroad. Melissa lives with her family in New Orleans.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bill on September 28, 2011

I picked up Sister Citizen because I am interested from a legal perspective in the implications that stereotyping of African American women has in the workplace. The book more than rewarded my interest. The book is a pastiche of literary excerpts, critical essays, news analysis, focus group reporting......more

Goodreads review by Tayari on November 06, 2011

The crux of Harris-Perry's argument is that the prevailing stereotypes of black women profoundly affect the ways that black women are seen by America, but also the ways that they see themselves. This misrepresentation shapes and often limits black women's participation as American citizens. While sc......more

Goodreads review by Andre on January 22, 2012

I love the analogy that undergirds this book, "trying to stand up straight in a crooked room." Ms. Harris-Perry does a remarkable job of explaining this challenge that is often mis-diagnosed by all. She provides history mixed with present day situations that make hers analysis clear and insightful.......more