William Oliver, whose work we will return to in The Violent Social World of Black Men , focuses in this section of Mann and Katz on the damage done to black identity by the image of black people that was socially constructed out of slavery. One of the great tragedies associated with prejudice and racial discrimination against black people is the negative effect it has had on how black people view their worth as human beings. Several theoretical orientations come to mind, and I would like for us to discuss them in class and in our threaded discussions. Social constructionism is an important concept in narrative and identity research and theorizing. Further readings on social constructionism .
Subjectivity is always present.
We cannot perceive the world from a neutral or unbiased perspective, for our experiences have shaped our perspective. That is simply the dilemma with which humans are faced because we are each unique. Of course, during slavery the subjectivity of the white master was privileged. Compare Minow's work on unstated assumptions of privilege. Even though slavery ended many, many years ago, the unstated assumptions of privilege have lingered and form an important part of the narrative of identity.