Work

Do brown people have brown thoughts? Richard Rodriguez’s philosophy of race, culture, and identity

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: Ever since the publication of Hunger of Memory in 1982, Richard Rodriguez has been read by scholars almost exclusively through the lens of identity politics. Twenty years later, in Brown, Rodriguez sought to reconcile some of the contradictions of identity, at least his own. Ultimately, Rodriguez concludes that the contradictions of identity cannot be reconciled. Our identities are always more complex and nuanced than the boxes we try to fit people in. In expressing his philosophy of identity, Rodriguez reflects on the concept of brownness and “brown thoughts,” invoking brown as a metaphor for cultural miscegenation, and thereby for diversity and genuine inclusion. Rodriguez’s philosophy of race, culture, and identity moves us beyond toxic forms of tribalism and cultural essentialism to an identity politics that unites rather than excluding and dividing.

Source: Latino Studies

DOI: 10.1057/s41276-023-00413-7

Author: Michael Nieto Garcia

Institution: Clarkson University

Language: English

Topic: Latin American and Latino Studies

Subfield: Cultural Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,890

Funders: State University of New York, DePaul University, University at Buffalo