Jessica Vasquez-Tokos, a Professor of Sociology at the University of Oregon, delves into the complexities surrounding race and identity in her work, 'Burdens of Belonging: Race in an Unequal Nation.' She discusses how communities of color are often perceived as 'problems' and the devastating impact this perception has on their lives. The conversation explores personal narratives of belonging and exclusion, the influence of historical injustices, and the importance of empathy and solidarity for achieving racial justice.
33:20
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
insights INSIGHT
Expanding Du Bois' Problem Question
Jessica Vasquez-Tokos expands W.E.B. Du Bois' question about being seen as a social problem beyond Black Americans to multiple racial and ethnic groups.
She examines how problem status is socially constructed through historical and racial processes.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Indigenous Views on Belonging
Indigenous respondents challenged the assumption that inclusion in the U.S. nation-state is desirable.
Some expressed desires for sovereignty and decoloniality rather than acceptance by the settler colonial nation.
insights INSIGHT
Legacy of Military Conflicts
Asian Americans with histories linked to U.S. military conflicts experience non-belonging due to that legacy.
The concept 'military racial opponents' reflects this enduring racialization as enemy combatants.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Burdens of Belonging examines the historical underpinnings of the racial-colonial hierarchy, the influence this hierarchy has on lived experience, and how racialized life experience influences the feelings, perspectives and goals of people of color. The book is based on interviews with people in Oregon from various racial groups, and brings multiple racial groups’ opinions together to weigh in on the ways in which race contours national belonging and affects sense of self, everyday life and wellness, and aspirations for the future. The book highlights the value of inquiring how people from various racial backgrounds perceive their fit in the nation and reveals how race matters to belonging in multifaceted ways. It brings to the fore an analysis of how racial inequality, settler colonialism, and race relations penetrate multiple layers of social life and become etched into bodies and futures.
Democracy is Awkward, Grappling with Racism Inside American Grassroots Political Organizing
Democracy is Awkward, Grappling with Racism Inside American Grassroots Political Organizing
Grappling with Racism Inside American Grassroots Political Organizing
Michael Rosino
Michael Rosino's "Democracy is Awkward" delves into the complexities of racial inclusion within progressive grassroots political organizations. The book uses ethnographic data from a real-world organization to illustrate how white progressives' reluctance to share power hinders social change. Rosino highlights the disconnect between stated goals of racial equity and the reality of predominantly white membership and leadership. He analyzes the habits, routines, and discursive strategies that perpetuate this imbalance, offering valuable insights into the challenges of building truly inclusive political spaces. The book ultimately calls for a more conscious and deliberate approach to power-sharing and genuine solidarity.
The Souls of Black Folk
Héctor Arnau
Patricia H. Hinchey
Eugene F. Provenzo
Slingshot Books
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
W.E.B. Du Bois
Brent Hayes Edwards
Monty
Karl Simrock
Monica M. Elbert
Arnold Rampersad
Shawn Alexander
Prentice Onayemi
Farah Jasmine Griffin
Walter Covell
Published in 1903, 'The Souls of Black Folk' is a foundational text of American literature and sociology. The book explores themes of race, identity, and the quest for equality in an era marked by systemic racism and segregation. Du Bois reflects on the historical context of Emancipation, the double-consciousness of being both Black and American, and the struggles of the Black community. His prophetic remarks and critical insights have been cited as the intellectual framework for the Civil Rights movement and continue to influence contemporary writers.
By Jessica Vasquez-Tokos, Professor of Sociology at the University of Oregon
W.E.B. Du Bois famously pondered a question he felt society was asking of him as a Black man in America: “How does it feel to be a problem?” Jessica Vasquez-Tokos uses this question to examine how communities of color are constructed as “problems,” and the numerous ramifications this has for their life trajectories. Uncovering how various members of racial groups understand and react to what their racial status means for inclusion in, or exclusion from, the nation, Burdens of Belonging examines the historical underpinnings of the racial-colonial hierarchy, the influence this hierarchy has on lived experience, and how racialized life experience influences the feelings, perspectives and goals of people of color. Burdens of Belonging is based on interviews with people in Oregon from various racial groups, and brings multiple racial groups’ opinions together to weigh in on the ways in which race contours national belonging and affects sense of self, everyday life and wellness, and aspirations for the future. This book highlights the value of inquiring how people from various racial backgrounds perceive their fit in the nation and reveals how race matters to belonging in multifaceted ways. Filling a gap in research on the everyday effects of accumulated racial disadvantage, Burdens of Belonging brings to the fore an analysis of how racial inequality, settler colonialism, and race relations penetrate multiple layers of social life and become etched into bodies and futures.
Michael L. Rosino, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Molloy University
New Books Network 
