How European Immigrants Became White
The speaker explains that there is an argument that suggests that color emanates from a fabricated society as compared to biological certainties. Additionally, the historian called Ignatia, the author of How the Irish Became White, claims that during the settling of the country, white people were essentially the Anglo-Saxon, which was later referred to as the northern European white race. The speaker further narrates about the influx of races such as Greeks, pols, and eastern European Jews to Europe, but claims that they were considered inferior. Lastly, the speaker explains that it took the long and immense struggle for immigrants from non-white races to be accepted in Europe.
Orientalism
Summary of Main Points of This Article
The article explains that Orientalism refers to the system of practice and beliefs which Americans and Europeans have perceived and represented Asia and the Middle East, usually in subordinate and unfavorable terms. Edward explains that early Orientalists created a monolithic belief of Asia and the Middle East as regions characterized by sensuousness, timelessness, feminism, backwardness, and decadency. The author claims Europe used those notions to justify colonialization and the imperialization of Asia and the Middle East. He also argues that the beliefs still influence modern cultural and political perspectives.
The Unwanted Stories of Syrian Refugees
Summary of the main points
The book highlights the circumstances surrounding the removal of the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorial government from power. The author, Don Brown, explains that during the period, there were other tyrannical governments across the Middle East and North Africa. Furthermore, the author explains that in 2010, the oppressed citizens in those nations held demonstrations that led to uprisings called Arab Spring. The Syrian government retaliated through actions such as arrest, incarceration, and torture of the Daraa boys. Brown further explains that Syrians protested against the arrests, and thousands of them marched in the streets demanding their release. The public continued with the demonstrations even after the boys’ release, which made the government attack them using snipers and tanks, resulting in massive deaths.
Birthright Citizenship and Naturalization for Whites Only
Summary of the main points
According to the chapter, the Naturalization Law of 1790 is among the first laws to be passed in the US, and that it gave the whites born in America citizenship, and denied immigrants the right to naturalization. Additionally, the author explains that birthright citizenship has been observed since the inception of America, despite the racial segregation. The author claims that birthright citizenship is based on the argument that citizenship is determined by the place where a person is born, not by race, citizenship of one’s parents, or nationality.
White Privilege and the Changing of US racial hierarchy
Summary of the main points
The chapter highlights the racial discrimination challenges that Kevin Johnson, whose father is an Anglo-American, and the mother Mexico-American, encountered due to the Anglo surname. His reflections portray the salience of racial identities, discourses, and lines in America. The author also explains that white privilege is benefits that individuals enjoy, just because they are grouped as white. He explains that the privilege is observed even in places like supermarkets where the whites walk freely, picking products, but the blacks are followed around since they are perceived as thieves.
Connection
The link that I have noted in the readings is racial discrimination. For instance, races like Asians and African Americans are considered inferior, while the whites are superior. Racial discrimination in the readings is observed through aspects such as the existence of white privilege ideology and denying other races naturalization citizenship. Lastly, all the readings show that even the government and legal systems take part in the propagation of racial discrimination.
Work Cited
Castor, Helen. Joan of Arc. Faber & Faber, 2014. pg. 3