Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word is a 2002 book by Randall Kennedy of Harvard Law School about the history and sociology of the word nigger.
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| Author | Randall Kennedy |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | |
Publication date | 2002 |
| Publication place | United States |
| ISBN | 978-0-375-42172-3 (first edition) |
"The power of 'Nigger,'" Charles Taylor wrote in Salon, "is that Kennedy writes fully of the word, neither condemning its every use nor fantasizing that it can ever become solely a means of empowerment."[1] In the book, Kennedy explores the word's history, and how its meaning varies according to the context of its use. "I'm not saying that any particular instance of using the N-word is any more horrifying and menacing than any other such word", he told Daniel Smith in The Atlantic. "I am saying that from a broad sociological view, the word is associated with more havoc in American society than other racial slurs."[2]
Darcus Howe noted of Nigger in New Statesman, "Had a white person used the word, rejection would have been immediate. Now white society can always point to Kennedy and say that a negro advanced the view that 'nigger' is acceptable."[3] When asked by Kate Tuttle of Africana how he felt about the controversy over Nigger, Kennedy replied: "What's the worst that happens? That someone writes a very long diatribe in The New Yorker excoriating me...I'm not facing firing squads, I'm not facing exile, I'm not facing jail."[4]
The book was prominently featured in an episode of Boston Public in which a white teacher, played by Michael Rapaport, attempted to employ the book to teach his students about the history and controversy surrounding the word (season 2, episode 15: "Chapter Thirty-Seven").[5]
Further reading
edit- Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word – online book preview at Google Books. ISBN 0-375-42172-6.
References
edit- ^ Taylor, Charles (2002-01-22). "The N word". Salon.com. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
- ^ Daniel Smith, "That Word: Interview of Randall Kennedy". The Atlantic, January 17, 2002.
- ^ Darcus Howe, "The prof says it's OK to use 'nigger'. But he's brown, not black", New Statesman, 28 January 2002.
- ^ Tuttle, Kathleen. Interview with Randall Kennedy. Africana, 28 January 2002.
- ^ "Starts With N, Ends With You and Me". Washington Post. 2024-01-23. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
External links
edit- PopMatters review by James Withers
- "The N-Word as Therapy for Racists" by Martin Kilson
- Booknotes interview with Kennedy on Nigger, March 3, 2002.
- Not While Racism Exists, by Gary Younge
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