Against invisibilization—towards “Blackness” as a universal claim

Abstract

From post-World War II Germany to contemporary contexts beyond Europe and the United States, this contribution considers the extent to which "Blackness" has become a universal claim. It thinks through this claim in relation to Aihwa Ong's discussion of invisibilization. In a context in which new immigrants to countries such as the United States or Germany face at best exclusionary incorporation through a process that also appends their potential noncitizenship to Blackness, a reinvigorated Blackness offers a different kind of possibility. Ong's discussion of ethnic succession in the United States also illuminates the persistence of systemic racism and "White" supremacy, making analytical space for the academic and the activist to consider the possibilities for Blackness as a universal claim.

Nationalism and Inequality Scholarship in the Age of Populism: Bringing Territory Back In?

“…Scholarship on racialized inequalities in access to citizenship and in the recognition of the rights of racial minorities is quickly expanding (FitzGerald 2017; Partridge 2020). However, even though the death of George Floyd galvanized both activist movements and academic discussions in the Americas and Europe, there is still a lack of academic interest in racialized minorities and their access to citizenship rights and perceived inequality in political representation in other parts of the world.…”