Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Fading Out Black and White: Racial Ambiguity in American Culture

What happens to a country that was built on race when the boundaries of black and white have started to fade? Not only is the literal face of America changing where white will no longer be the majority, but the belief in the firmness of these categories and the boundaries that have been drawn is also disintegrating. In a nuanced reading of culture in a post Obama America, this book asks what will become of the racial categories of black and white in an increasingly multi-ethnic, racially ambiguous, and culturally fluid country. Through readings of sites of cultural friction such as the media frenzy around `transracial' Rachel Dolezal, the new popularity of racially ambiguous dolls, and the confusion over Obama's race, Fading Out Black and White explores the contemporary construction of race. This insightful, provocative glimpse at identity formation in the US reviews the new frontier of race and looks back at the archaism of the one-drop rule that is unique to America. Review Beautifully written, compellingly argued, and exceptionally well-structured. Kingstone frames her richly illuminating, vital and groundbreaking questions in wonderfully theoretically incisive ways by asking, "what do our reactions and changing representations of black and white say about either our shifting perceptions or the firmness of racial categories?" --Celeste-Marie Bernier, Personal Chair in English Literature and Professor of Black Studies at the University of Edinburgh Mapping and re-mapping the cultural geography of race and identity are some of the critical, yet most complex endeavors of our time. Kingstone gives us the tools to navigate this thorny area across both recent history and contemporary culture. It is a forensically crafted masterclass of clarity - essential reading for anyone who is as confused as I am. --Gus Casely-Hayford, Director, National Museum of African Art About the Author Lisa Simone Kingstone is Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of International Development at King's College London. She has a BA from Barnard College, an MA from Columbia University, and a PhD from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in English Literature. Before coming to King's, she taught English Literature at the University of Connecticiut and worked as a professional journalist. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications.