White Innocence by Gloria Wekker

In White Innocence Gloria Wekker explores a central paradox of Dutch culture: the passionate denial of racial discrimination and colonial violence coexisting alongside aggressive racism and xenophobia. Accessing a cultural archive built over 400 years of Dutch colonial rule, Wekker fundamentally challenges Dutch racial exceptionalism by undermining the dominant narrative of the Netherlands as a "gentle" and "ethical" nation. Wekker analyzes the Dutch media's portrayal of black women and men, the failure to grasp race in the Dutch academy, contemporary conservative politics (including gay politicians espousing anti-immigrant rhetoric), and the controversy surrounding the folkloric character Black Pete, showing how the denial of racism and the expression of innocence safeguards white privilege. Wekker uncovers the postcolonial legacy of race and its role in shaping the white Dutch self, presenting the contested, persistent legacy of racism in the country.

Gloria Wekker is Professor Emeritus of Gender Studies at Utrecht University and the author of several books, including The Politics of Passion: Women's Sexual Culture in the Afro-Surinamese Diaspora.

Liebe macht hellsichtig (!) - Fürst Pückler und sein Sklavenmädchen

http://www.dctp.tv/filme/fuerst-pueckler-und-sein-sklavenmaedchen/

Die verborgenen Kolonien der Schweiz

Bildunterschrift hinzufügen

Blacks in the Dutch World

Blacks in the Dutch World examines the interaction between Black history and Dutch history to gain an understanding of the historical development of racial attitudes. Allison Blakely reveals cracks in the self-image and reputation of Dutch society as a haven for those escaping intolerance. Pervasive images of "the Moor" and "the noble savage" in Dutch art and popular culture; "Black Pete," servant to Santa Claus in Dutch Christmas tradition: these and many other cultural artefacts reflect the racial stereotyping of Blacks that existed in the Dutch world through slavery, servitude, and freedom. Blakely weighs the proposition that factors unique to the modern period have contributed to the creation of this racial imagery in Dutch folklore, art, literature, and religion. By viewing evolving images of Blacks against the backdrop of Western expansion, the agricultural, scientific, and industrial revolutions, and the advent of modern secular doctrines, Blakely discovers that humanism and liberalism, hallmarks of Dutch society since medieval times, have been imperfect guardians against race bias. Blacks in the Dutch World confirms that the existence of colour prejudice in a predominantly "white" society does not depend on the presence of racial conflict or even a significant "coloured" population. The origins are related to the complex interaction of evolving social, cultural, and economic phenomena.