Bodega Dreams by Quinonez, Ernesto Research Paper

Bodega Dreams by Quinonez, Ernesto - Research Paper Example In order to understand light, we compare it to darkness; in order to understand man, we come compare it to woman; and in order to understand reason, we compare it nature. However, these binaries are not equal, in that one side of the binary is posited as good, rational, civilized, and empowered, and the other side of the binary is posited as bad, irrational, uncivilized, and subordinate. This process of dividing everything into categories of good and bad is important when attempting to understand the dynamics of power in social relationships, especially ones that are characterized by race, class, and gender. The codification of binaries has acted as a catalyst for the process of othering, which explains how certain groups remain in possession of power while other groups are continuous enslaved by social, political, and educational institutions that benefit from their oppression. Lena Dominelli defines othering as following: Thus, racism is about relations of dominance and subordination which are rooted in the ‘othering’of others as a social process of exclusion in which particular personal attributes are identified as the basis for a racialised ‘othering’ to occur. These characteristics are aspects of an individual’s or group’s identity which are castigated as ‘inferior’ by a dominant group which has the power to enforce its definitions of reality on others. They may be based on biological features such as skin color and hair type, cultural practices, linguistic abilities, or religious observances which are adversely valued socially and weighted against the interests of the subordinated group. (39). This assumption of the superiority of one race to dominate, manipulate, and abuse other groups who are perceived as inferior has colored much of American history (Lorde, 115). However, regardless of how hard the other tries