What Monsters Can Teach Us

The idea of race as a basis for human identity has a rich and troubled history, often dated back to the early 17th century when English colonists established Jamestown in the New World. There doesn't seem to be any evidence that Africans were discriminated against for their physical appearance. The emergent picture is that we are truly monstrous, composite all the way down; if we were to meet the meaty dimensions of our bodies, we would be frightened by just how unwieldy identities are. We really are at a loss for words when it comes to making affirmative statements about where we come from, where we belong, and what makes us, us.