The issue of race in the works of bell hooks and Luther Standing Bear

 

Gloria Jean Watkins, also known by her pen name Bell Hooks, is a social activist, feminist, professor, and author. She borrowed her pen name from her maternal great-grandmother, Bell Blair Hooks, because she was an individual that was never afraid to speak out and the result was that she was greatly admired. Hooks was born in 1952 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky to working class parents.[1] Hopkinsville was a segregated town and from the beginning of her life, Hooks had to go to public schools which were also segregated. Furthermore, as an avid reader in an environment of segregation, she ended up writing concerning the considerable adversities that she had to endure especially when she had to make a transition to an integrated school, where the majority of students and teachers were white; a scenario that was quite new to her. However, following her education, she began her career in 1976 at the University of Southern California where she was an English professor and senior lecturer in Ethnic Studies.[2] It was during her three years at this institution that she ended up having her first published work, And There We Wept in 1978.[3] The major focus of her writings has been on capitalism, gender, and race and the manner through which these have been prominent in the perpetuation of class domination and oppression in society. She is an individual that has not only published numerous books, but also participated in public lectures as well as documentary films. Thus, Hooks is therefore an individual that, through her works, has been able to undertake the task of addressing such issues as sexuality, mass media, history, art, and feminism.

One of Bell Hooks’ most notable works is Touching the Earth, which makes an attempt to show the way that the African American people are connected to the earth. She promotes the idea that African Americans should undertake to ensure that they reclaim the spiritual legacy in such a way that they end up connecting their personal wellbeing to that of the earth.[4] Furthermore, she suggests that it is necessary for African Americans to recognize that the fight to save the environment and the fight against racism are actually competing concerns, especially when one considers that the agrarian South has a direct connection with racism. The importance of this factor cannot be underestimated because it shows the manner through which the African American singular focus on bringing an end to racism has created a situation where they are completely divorced from nature.[5] Hooks further considers the way that their living close to nature has a beneficial effect on African Americans because they were able to attain a spirit of wonder that advocated for a reverence of life. However, because of their desire to escape the racial injustice that was prevalent in the South, they moved to the cities of the North, which resulted in the loss of connection with the agrarian South. In this way, rather than being connected to nature, they missed the entire connection to such an extent that they were forced to become what they were not. The sensual beauty of the South was gone, replaced by the divorce from community that is a constant feature of life in cities.[6] Thus, Hooks makes the connection between nature and race and considers the human divorce from nature to be the cause of racism.

In the essays Indian Wisdom by Luther Sanding Bear and Bell Hooks’ Touching the Earth, there are two sections in the former and one in the latter. These sections address the various concerns that the authors seek to bring to public notice. The first section in Indian Wisdom is one that seeks to address the matter of nature and the manner through which it was one of the mainstays of Native American society because of the close connection that they had to nature.[7] The second section makes an analysis of Native American religion and the way that it was an essential aspect of their lives based on not only their close connection to nature, but also the way that they did not fear nature. The section in Touching the Earth, on the other hand, addresses the connection between black people and the land and the way that because of this connection, they essentially lost their humanity when the moved away from the rural South to the urban North.

A number of shared themes are found in both Indian Wisdom and Touching the Earth. One of the most significant of these is the connection between humans and nature. This connection is seen in page 202 by the way that Standing Bear addresses the way that the Native Americans, specifically the Lakota, were very connected to nature to the extent of their being referred to as naturalists.[8] In page 363, Hooks also addresses the connection to nature, stating that by loving the earth, humans are able to love themselves. Another theme that is brought to the fore is that of the attempt to tame nature.[9] This is seen through the way that Standing Bear in page 205 shows the attempts by the white man to tame nature, and Hooks’ in page 365 who addresses the way that African Americans migrated from the rural South to the industrialized North.[10] Also, the theme of racism comes to the fore, as seen through the way that Native Americans are viewed as savages in page 205 of Indian Wisdom and the matter of racial harassment that black people encountered in the South as seen in page 366 of Hooks’ Touching the Earth.[11] The theme of spirituality and religion is also pertinent in Indian Wisdom page 206 and Touching the Earth page 365, which are addressed through the concern about the connection between spirituality and nature. Conservation is another theme that is common in both essays, and they each address the manner through which nature should be allowed to remain as it is for the welfare of all individuals. Finally, the theme of fear is also prominent, as seen through the way that Standing Bear, in page 205, seeks to promote the idea that white people are afraid of nature and this is the reason why the seek to tame it, and the fear of being out of place due to alienation of nature in page 365 of Hooks’ Touching the Earth.[12]

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[1] "Bell Hooks Biography," Encyclopedia of World Biographies, https://www.notablebiographies.com/He-Ho/Hooks-Bell.html.

[2] Gary L Anderson and Kathryn G Herr, Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice (Sage Publications, 2007), 706.

[3] "Bell Hooks Speaks Up," The Sandspur, https://issuu.com/thesandspur/docs/112-17.

[4] Bell Hooks, "Touching the Earth," At Home on the Earth: Becoming  (2010): 364.

[5] Mayumi Toyosato, "Living in Place as African American Tradition: Inhabitory Consciousness in Her Own Place,"  (2004): 28.

[6] Peter HH Kahn Jr and Batya Friedman, "On Nature and Environmental Education: Black Parents Speak from the Inner City," Environmental Education Research 4, no. 1 (1998): 36.

[7] Chief Luther Standing Bear, "Indian Wisdom (1933)," The Great New Wilderness Debate  (1998): 202.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Hooks,  363.

[10] Ibid., 365; Bear,  205.

[11] 205; Hooks,  366.

[12] 365; Bear,  205.

I am not your Negro

 

James Baldwin can be considered one of the foremost African-American thinkers of the twentieth century. This is because of the manner through which he was able to address the diverse matters that involved racial relations and the way that the character of the United States tended to contradict itself. In I am not your Negro, the opinions of this individual are addressed in such a concise manner that it becomes possible to gain an understanding of the way through which he was able to develop his perspective of American society. A black man born in the North, his visits to the South and being witness to the civil rights movement and the white reaction to it, made him an important observe of events. Being a Northerner does not seems to have excluded him from or made him oblivious to the plight of African-Americans in the South because Baldwin seems to have also become an important player in the advancement of the civil rights movement. He sought to make sure that there was the creation of an environment in the United States that sought to address the racial issue in such a way that there was a candid discussion of all the events that had taken place to precipitate it. In this case, he seems to suggest that individuals in the country, especially members of the white community, even the most well-intentioned, seem to want to sweep the racial issue under the carpet and move on as if nothing happened. However, Baldwin is of the opinion that there has to be a national dialogue concerning the contrasting stances on race so that it can be possible to ensure that this issue is dealt with once and for all.

Despite this stance, Baldwin also seeks to promote the idea that it is in the interests of all those involved, especially members of the African-American community, to continue fighting for their rights. This is especially considering that in the rest of society, there are often contrasting opinions concerning how to address the historical injustices that they have suffered. One of the most significant aspects of this documentary is that it shows the various reactions that the white community tends to have towards the oppressive history that African-Americans had to undergo. Among these is the contrast that can be seen between the rage that some feel when the issue is raised, on one hand, and the empathy that seems to come about depending on the circumstances. However, despite these feelings, there is often a failure to ensure that the issue that is the root of the problem, essentially race, is addressed. Instead, there are often attempts to make sure that there is the advancement of the idea that all that happened took place in the past and that everyone should just move on. This failure to consider the historical injustices that have taken place throughout American history can be considered a means through which to avoid addressing them and is also anticipatory of the contemporary world, where the issue of race is still extremely prominent in American society. Thus, Baldwin points out the contrasts and hypocrisy of American society and this is in such a way that it has been unable to come to terms with its racial past in order to prevent its continued prevalence in society.

Multipolarity and Instability in the Middle East

 

Mehran Kamrava’s “Multipolarity and Instability in the Middle East” is an article that seeks to address the events taking place in the Middle East. Published for the Foreign Policy Research Institute, this article is relevant because of the way that it provides an interesting perspective concerning the Middle East. It considers the manner through which the Arab uprisings brought about an environment of instability because of the considerable involvement of both outside and regional powers in countries such as Egypt, Libya, Syria, and Yemen, and the way that these powers have essentially changed the balance of power from one of stability to one of uncertainty.

One of the most important observations that are made within the article is that there has been a rapid shift in the way that the Middle East politics are conducted since the involvement of outside powers. This is because while previously, the United States was the leading power in the region, having considerable influence over most of its governments, the same cannot be said of the post-Arab uprising period. The role of arbitrator has essentially been flipped due to the “declining role of the United States as an off- or onshore balancer”[1] and the increasing involvement of powers such as Russia and Turkey in regional affairs. Despite the continued military presence of the United States and the UK in the region, it is important to note that there have been significant changes in the Middle East as seen through the way that powers such as Russia and China have also become involved. Russia, for example, has become more involved in the region, essentially becoming one of its most prominent power brokers, as seen in the case of Syria, where, alongside Iran and Hezbollah, it has been able to ensure that the government of President Bashar Assad remains in power. Moreover, China has taken on a more prominent role in the region economically; upstaging the role that has been played by the United States for decades. It is also noteworthy that the article looks into the way that the United States has moved away from its traditional role in the region, based on a “pragmatic realism by American policymakers in dealing with the Middle East”[2] since the disastrous invasion of Iraq during the Bush administration that brought about a decline in trust in the United States as a regional arbiter. This article therefore presents an interpretation of events that have led to multipolarity has become more prominent in the region and the way that it has affected the events currently taking place within it.

The way that Kamrava handles the issues addressed in the article is highly competent because it is an accurate description of the events that are currently taking place in the Middle East. The multipolarity in the region is one of the biggest developments of the 21^st century because it shows the manner through which the decline of the United States as a global power has taken place since the disastrous Iraq invasion. It is also important to consider that Kamrava considers the way that other nations such as Russia and China are increasingly challenging American dominance. American involvement in Syria would previously have gone unchallenged but because of the way that it handled the Iraq affair, other powers came to recognize its vulnerability. Thus, because of Russian efforts, the Syrian government has not only survived, but also managed to recapture large swathes of territory that were previously held by Western-backed rebels. The author also considers the way that the war in Syria has also led to unforeseen circumstances, such as the rise in incidents of terrorism across the region and its export to other parts of the world. One would agree with the latter stance because it shows the way that the author seeks to emphasize the new multipolar outlook of the Middle East as it unfolds. The importance of these circumstances cannot be underestimated because it provides for a bigger picture of the way that events are taking place in the region. There is also a consideration of the way that the handling of the Arab uprisings by Western powers such as the United States, France, and the UK in such countries as Libya, resulted in the disastrous events that continue to take place in the country. However, despite this being the case, it is pertinent to note that Kamrava does not address the refugee crisis that emerged in the region following the attempts to overthrow the Syrian government.

This article is very satisfactory when it comes to the way that it has addressed its thesis. Its consideration of the changes that have taken place in the Middle East and their impact is important because it shows the way that new players such as Turkey and Iran, as well as Russia and China have come to take on a more prominent role in the region from political, military, and economic perspectives. Finally, it allows for a contemplation of the reasons behind the decline of the United States’ role in the Middle East.

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[1] Mehran Kamrava, "Multipolarity and Instability in the Middle East," Orbis 62, no. 4 (2018): 598.

[2] Ibid., 600.

How does the individual relate or interact with an educational organizational culture?

 

Organizational culture can have an extremely important influence over an organization, especially when it comes to the way that the employees of the said organization conduct their duties (Tierney & Lanford, 2015). It has the ability to ensure that individuals are made to focus on the specific objectives of the organization in such a way that they are able to undertake them without feeling any pressure to do so. The importance of organizational culture can also be seen through the way that it develops with the aim of fulfilling the goals of the organization, in this case the vision and the mission (Zafar et al., 2016). Within an educational setting, it plays a pertinent role in securing the academic objectives of the institution in such a way that the management, tutors, and students end up pursuing the same culture that defines the institution. This paper considers the way that the individual interacts with the educational organizational culture using the organizational learning paradigm, with specific reference to management training, management development, and organizational development.

Organizational culture is often developed through management training. This is a process that involves a scenario where the managers of the educational institution involved are provided with training that is in line with its objectives (Cookson, 2017). Organizational cultures as a whole will often have considerable influence on individuals, in this case managers, to such an extent that they end up in a situation where they become more similar than different. A consequence is that it leads to the development of a unified perspective concerning how the institution is to be run to such an extent that the culture that is developed not only remains prevalent, but it is adopted by future generations of managers. Thus, through management training, the institution will often seek to maintain its culture by instilling its philosophy as well as values in such a way that inculcates its norms as examples that should be adhered to by managers. In this way, it becomes possible for the institution involved to maintain its culture over long periods without any notable change unless the change is necessary.

Another important aspect of individual interaction with organizational culture that can be considered through the organizational learning paradigm is management development. Within an educational institution, it is often necessary for there to be the promotion of the unique capabilities of the managers in a bid to utilize them to further the interests of the institution (Megheirkouni, 2017). Institutions will often seek to ensure that they provide their employees with management development through considerable investment. This is seen through the presence of counseling programs, and career testing, which ensures that the individual involved is able to receive feedback on the test results concerning their abilities, personalities, and interests. Individuals are also encouraged to undergo personal growth experiences as a means of making sure that there is the advancement of means through which they can gain new ideas concerning technological advancements and management that could be useful for the educational institution. However, while self-development is the major focus of their process, it is important to note that it is often conducted based on the culture of the institution involved.

Individuals also interact with educational culture through the process of organizational development. From an organizational learning perspective, this is a process that involves planned efforts that are made to ensure that there is the changing of the culture of the institution (Hayat et al., 2019). Organizational culture in this case is used through the use of knowledge from behavioral science. In this way, it becomes possible to ensure that there is the advancement of initiatives aimed at influencing employees to cater to the health and effectiveness of the institution involved through actively participating in cultural change. As such, the major focus of this process is not merely aimed at ensuring the personal growth of the individuals within an institution, but is instead aimed at making sure that there is the establishment of guidelines concerning how the individual is related to his or her work group. The major reason for the use of organizational development is to ensure that there is the improvement of a part or the entire system that makes up the institution as a whole. It allows for the advancement of means through which the individual participates in the promotion of culture change within the institution in order to adapt it to a new environment.

In conclusion, the above discussion considers the way that the individual interacts with the educational organizational culture using the organizational learning paradigm, with specific reference to management training, management development, and organizational development. This is because the educational organizational culture interacts with individuals within the institution in a diversity of ways, including through training, personal development, and through the process of cultural change. In this way, the way that individuals interact with educational organizational culture is significant because it allows for cultural stability within the institutional setting.

The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, and the History of Comic Book Heroines

 

The book The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, and the History of Comic Book Heroines by Mike Madrid is one that addresses the representation of women in comic books. This representation is one that involves a scenario where the women are shown from different perspectives. However, it recognizes that being women in society is not an easy matter, even in the 21^st century and because of this, there should be the advancement of a situation where women are given more prominent roles in comics. In addition, Madrid considers the way that the representation of women in comics, especially in the beginning, came about during a period when men still made more money than women, and were therefore considered to be providers and protectors. He also considers the way that women continually face an assault when it comes to having control over their bodies, as seen through the presentation of women in scanty attire and large breasts by media. The presentation of women is shown to be a challenge for the image of women in comics, especially when one considers that comics were originally only intended for a male audience. Therefore, this book seeks to explore the way that super heroines have evolved over time from some of the weakest characters in the world of comics to among the strongest as presented in the modern world.

The exploration of the evolution of the super heroine is a significant aspect of this book. This is because Madrid seeks to explore such women as the Blonde Phantom, Black Canary, Manhunter, and Wonder Woman, among others, in a bid to gain a better understanding of the manner through which these individuals have evolved through the decades.[1] He considers the stereotypes that have plagued female superheroes, including their being considerably over-sexualized to such an extent that their relevance is based more on their image than on their actions.[2] The over-sexualization is shown to have reached its peak in the 1990s, when there was the promotion of a bad girl trend that had serious negative ramifications for the image of the women superhero. Another significant aspect of women in comics that is explored by Madrid is the way that they are portrayed as being inferior to men in addition to their being portrayed as pining for the love of a man to the highly ineffectual reasons behind their decisions to fight crime. Therefore, Madrid ensures that he considers the evolution of the manner that women superheroes changed over the decades to such an extent that there was a significant improvement of their image in comics. Thus, he considers their evolution from weaklings to individuals of great strength who are not only selfless, but also brave, like their male counterparts.

Madrid begins his assessment from the 1940s and moves it over the decades to the present. He considers the manner through which women superheroes were forced to endure the same problems are their counterparts in real life.[3] Among the most significant of these aspects is based on the way that they were perceived. Thus, if women fought as hard as men, they were looked upon as being too masculine and when they expressed their feelings, they ended up being referred to as either spoiled or as bitches. Moreover, in circumstances where they either submitted to or were rescued by men, they ended up being viewed as weak. Therefore, Madrid essentially promotes an image of women superheroes as undergoing the same issues as women in real life in such a way that he provides a perspective concerning the way that society viewed them. He shows that society was essentially not satisfied with women, and would always find something to fault them. However, while this may have been the case, it is pertinent to note Madrid makes sure to show the way that these superheroes evolved, as seen through the way that comic book creators who grew up in the women’s liberation movement were able to change the perspective of female superheroes to a more positive and equal one.

Therefore, Madrid considers the way that despite women in the real world being a way from attaining equality, the same cannot be said of superheroes, which are closer to such a goal. This is especially the case when one considers that Wonder Woman, for example, is featured in different comic titles on a consistent basis[4]; a sign of the rising equality in the world of comics. Furthermore, an all-female cast is often published in the X-Men series by Marvel Comics; the latter being a cast that has proven to be quite significant because of their considerable capabilities and strength as portrayed in the Marvel universe. Additionally, the most powerful member of the Fantastic Four is a woman, the Invisible Woman, and this is in combination with her also balancing her role as a mother and a wife. The most dominant comics, Marvel and DC, have undertaken to make sure that they display a diverse array of female superheroes in such a way that has proven significant since these individuals are pushed towards headlining comics, such as She-Hulk, and Bat-Woman. These women have been developed in such a way that they inspire the current generation to overcome gender bias and instead have the women within it fight for their dreams.

Madrid is also concerned about the failures that comic book companies have made over the years. This is especially the case when it comes to the way that they have failed to develop decent films which female heroes headline. The film studios that are associated with these comics have failed to ensure that such strong characters as Catwoman and Elektra as well as Supergirl are provided with an opportunity to truly portray the image of the modern woman.[5] A consequence is that when the films portraying these women have been complete failures due to the lack of significant effort being place in their development. Moreover, Madrid notes that women continue to be portrayed in comics as targets of serious violence; a sign of the manner through which female heroines continue to show the experiences of real life women. It is noteworthy that such individuals, despite coming out of such experiences stronger than ever, are a sign of the way that they are portrayed as inferior. While this may be the case, it is essential to consider that there are increasingly vocal voices calling for the better treatment of female characters in comics. The latter action is significant because it has come to influence the way that female characters in comics are treated, including a process within which women stop being portrayed as victims, and are instead placed in the lead as strong characters.

One of the biggest flaws of the book is that it does not dig deeper into the violence against women that is touched on. It would have been extremely interesting to consider the substantial number of women superheroes that have been tortured, raped, maimed, and killed since they began being portrayed in comic books in comparison to their male counterparts. A consideration of such circumstances would have made for an interesting analysis of the treatment of heroines in comic books over the decades and the manner through which, despite their being portrayed as strong characters, their treatment was still inferior to that of male superheroes. One of the reasons that make this book highly significant is that it gives hope that the super heroine will eventually gain equality in such a way that inspires their real life counterparts to attain the same.

In conclusion, Madrid makes an examination of the way that super heroines have evolved over time from some of the weakest characters in the world of comics to among the strongest as presented in the modern world. The exploration of the evolution of the super heroine is a significant aspect of this book. Madrid begins his assessment from the 1940s and moves it over the decades to the present. Moreover, Madrid considers the way that despite women in the real world being a way from attaining equality, the same cannot be said of superheroes, which are closer to such a goal. Finally, Madrid is concerned about the failures that comic book companies have made over the years, including not putting much effort in the development of viable films headlined by female heroes.

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[1] Mike Madrid, The Supergirls: Feminism, Fantasy, and the History of Comic Book Heroines (Revised and Updated) (Exterminating Angel Press, 2016), 28.

[2] Matthew Facciani, Peter Warren, and Jennifer Vendemia, "A Content-Analysis of Race, Gender, and Class in American Comic Books," Race, Gender & Class 22, no. 3-4 (2015): 218.

[3] Madrid, 1.

[4] Ibid., 110.

[5] Kaitlyn A Cummings, "Same Image, Different Lens: Revisiting the Critical Reception of Two Different Generations of Cinematic Superheroism," Panic at the Discourse: An Interdisciplinary Journal 1, no. 1: 28.