Your Average Nigga: Performing Race, Literacy, and Masculinity

In Your Average Nigga, Vershawn Ashanti Young disputes the belief that speaking Standard English and giving up...
BD$62.64 BMD
BD$62.64 BMD
SKU: 9780814332481
Product Type: Books
Please hurry! Only 552 left in stock
Author: Vershawn Ashanti Young
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Subtotal: BD$62.64
10 customers are viewing this product
Your Average Nigga: Performing Race, Literacy, and Masculinity by Young, Vershawn Ashanti

Your Average Nigga: Performing Race, Literacy, and Masculinity

BD$62.64

Your Average Nigga: Performing Race, Literacy, and Masculinity

BD$62.64
Author: Vershawn Ashanti Young
Format: Paperback
Language: English

In Your Average Nigga, Vershawn Ashanti Young disputes the belief that speaking Standard English and giving up Black English Vernacular helps black students succeed academically. Young argues that this assumption not only exaggerates the differences between two compatible varieties of English but forces black males to choose between an education and their masculinity, by choosing to act either white or black. As one would expect from a scholar who is subject to the very circumstances he studies, Young shares his own experiences as he exposes the factors that make black racial identity irreconcilable with literacy for blacks, especially black males.

Drawing on a range of interdisciplinary scholarship in performance theory and African American literary and cultural studies, Young shows that the linguistic conflict that exists between black and white language styles harms black students from the inner city the most. If these students choose to speak Standard English they risk alienating themselves from their families and communities, and if they choose to retain their customary speech and behavior they may isolate themselves from mainstream society. Young argues that this conflict leaves blacks in the impossible position of either trying to be white or forever struggling to prove that they are black enough. For men, this also becomes an endless struggle to prove that they are masculine enough. Young calls this constant effort to display proper masculine and racial identity the burden of racial performance.

Ultimately, Young argues that racial and verbal performances are a burden because they cannot reduce the causes or effects of racism, nor can they denaturalize supposedly fixed identity categories, as many theorists contend. On the contrary, racial and verbal performances only reinscribe the essentialism that they are believed to subvert. Scholars and teachers of rhetoric, performance studies, and African American studies will enjoy this insightful volume.

Author: Vershawn Ashanti Young
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
Published: 03/01/2007
Pages: 192
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.71lbs
Size: 8.96h x 6.08w x 0.48d
ISBN: 9780814332481

About the Author
Vershawn Ashanti Young is associate professor of drama and speech communication at the University of Waterloo.

Returns Policy

You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

Shipping

We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.

When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.

Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.

Related Products

Recently Viewed Products