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From: British Black Studies [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Nathaniel Coleman
Sent: 04 October 2018 11:57
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Psychosis of Whiteness: Film premiere and discussion 17th October 6.45pm @ BCU

Do we not (1) sustain the unjust stigmatisation of disabled persons and (2) individualise, by psychologising, a social system, when we speak of a so-called “psychosis” of whiteness?

Dr Nathaniel Adam Tobias Coleman

Senior Teaching Associate

University of Bristol

School of Sociology, Politics, and International Studies

Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship

Centre for Black Humanities

I dont even know what ‘psychosis’ means. And I could not find the energy to read through what to me is a grossly overlong article. Is it about the ‘White’ peoples sense of superiority, especially in relation to people with dark skins? (As if Europeans liked their own skin colour – after all they spend as much time as possible lying in the sun to get tanned!)

As far as I know, at least some of the first Europeans to arrive in Africa south of the Sahara gave fairly clear accounts of the towns, cities, kingdoms….. This had to be ignored when slaves were needed to work on the plantations set up in the Americas. So Africans now had to be cultureless savages, who would benefit from enslavements by Europeans.  They had to be ‘christianised and civilised’, which could be attained by enslavement. Has anyone done any research on what the Christian churches were contributing to this? I don’t mean by sending out missionaries, but perhaps just as importantly, what they were saying in the pulpits here? And has the Church of England acknowledged its ownership of slaves? Or the Jews their participation in the nefarious trade’?

Then just look at the  (mis)educations system in our schools. How much has ever been taught about other cultures, religions, empires? NOTHING. So Europeans have the right to rule…to own… In every possible way, this idea has to be perpetuated. After all, we Whites need to retain our domination….

From where/whom did Europeans acquire so much – eg writing, mathematics, et al. Just look at some of the few books detailing these.

And: how often is the abolition of slavery by Europeans linked to resistance by the enslaved and to Olaudah Equiano et al here in the UK?  And how much has it been acknowledged that the 1807 Act certainly did not even reduce the numbers of Africans transported for 40 or so years? (Please read my book, After Abolition.)

And I don’t just mean in schools but also at universities. My own experience as student majoring in Anthropology (a millenia ago, of course, but has it changed?). The final year course on Primitive Legal Systems detailed the system in Kano. It seemed very complex to me so I took it to a practising lawyer friend. He read through it all and told me it was the most sophisticated system – much more so than the English system. Made me realise I’d been brain-washed… Eventually went to Kano to say ‘thank you’.

I have for long realised how important it is to me that I had a couple of years of schooling in Budapest before we emigrated from Hungary. That I had read many Hungarian (Magyar) novels. That I speak Hungarian. Eat Hungarian.  I visit. So I have some idea of what being a Hungarian means. Saved money to take my son and then his daughters, 2-3 times. My grand-daughters call themselves ‘English and Hungarian’ and are proud to know at least some Hungarian history, culture…

But what if your grandparents came from Nigeria or Jamaica? Has the family been able to afford to send you ‘home’? What have you learned to help you respond to the ignorant, racist Brits who are certain there was nothing but savagery in your grandparents’ home?

Do we not (1) sustain the unjust stigmatisation of disabled persons and (2) individualise, by psychologising, a social system, when we speak of a so-called “psychosis” of whiteness?