Paper from IRSCL conference on white privilege in children's publishing
I've been trying to find a way to post my paper from the conference in some form where people can add comments within the text, giving their perspectives and additions. I also tried posting the paper as a blog entry, but it's too long and looks clunky. So, instead I've got it as a Google website here: http://sites.google.com/site/tockla/
I would be thrilled if people read the paper, and then gave their experiences and comments on this blog posting. And if anyone has suggestions for the kind of technology I'm looking for, I'd be much obliged!
posted by Tockla @ 1:33 PM
20 comments
links to this post
20 Comments:
Hi Lori,
I enjoyed your paper, and what struck me is that with a gentle twist, it could have been about a lot of other topics. The situations you discussed certainly were prime examples of ignorance and fear, which are two important ingredients of racism, but it seems to me that the authors in question could have been in any other group and come up against similar challenges.
I guess what I'm saying is that even if the person getting victimized by ignorance and fear belongs to a racial/ethnic minority, I'm not sure that it's actually racism unless their race or ethnicity is the deciding factor.
What if the picture on the cover of Liar had instead been of a man? Would the publisher's excuse be any more acceptable? Having not read the book, I can only imagine that the character could also be lying about her gender. Would it have been worse if it had been a white man? Black? Latino?
With regards to DeShawn Days, the removal of "crack vials" sounds like a white-washing of a minority's childhood experience, but would a children's book detailing a parent's alcoholism or violent abuse of a spouse be published without any of the less-friendly imagery being edited out? I assume the same reasons--teachers and children's librarians wouldn't buy it--would be cited.
And Ahmed's struggle with the title is poignant, but it seems to me that the industry is rife with stories like this; mistakes from the people who run the presses which, fearing the cost of correction, they refuse to change. I remember a scene in Taxi Driver where Albert Brooks is at a campaign office complaining to a vendor that the buttons they sent said, "WE are the people" instead of "We ARE the people". I'm not saying that it does not matter, but neither the mistake nor the follow-up were necessarily racism even though they can clearly be deconstructed as such.
I don't think we've moved beyond race here in America or anywhere else, any more than we've moved beyond sexism, classism or any number of isms. But I do think that in some cases, the root causes of behaviors that seem racist (or *-ist) are of more importance than the perceived -isms.
The publishers are afraid that people won't like it if kids see a book of dark poetry including drug imagery. Maybe there's room for a publisher who is not afraid. If that latter publisher makes a financial killing, then the more staid publisher will follow.
I assume that authors have contracts with regards to publication before those proofs come out. From what I hear, JK Rowling has had complete creative control since day one of the Harry Potter franchise. If an author doesn't like what a publisher is doing, they should be able to take their work and walk.
I don't have a solution for everything, but I think it may not be constructive to assume that, when there's a conflict between two people of different races--even when cultural differences exacerbate the conflict--that the core problem is racism and racism alone.
--Ben
Hi Laura, I very much enjoyed your paper (and was very much looking forward to you posting it!). There must be countless "white washing" requests that occur that we might never know about unless we dig a little deeper (such as doing your research), unless we push back (such as raising our voices against Liar), and unless bolder and/or ethnic people can have their voices heard and respected in publishing. Thanks for bringing this important issue to light, sharing it as a forum as great as IRSCL, and posting it on your blog so we might all access it and have a conversation about it.
At my own website, I blogged some thoughts that your paper inspired. Takes it in another direction, but here it is: http://readingspark.wordpress.com/2009/08/14/the-all-white-world-of-childrens-publishing/
Laura what an interesting paper. I was particularly fascinated by the subtleties of difference in using the indefinite vs. the definite article in the anthology title. In general we tend to nudge text toward "the" since the definite article takes the reader further into the narrative than the more tentative indefinite. Only of course here this predisposition perhaps combined with cultural and racial blinders, resulting in a failure to note that there are many possible narratives. And more, it's a sweeping stereotype to suggest one monolithic one in their place. Lots to think about.
Emailed to me by author Catherine Johnson (http://www.catherinejohnson.co.uk/):
It does need discussion and thanks for drawing attention to it. It's important there are white people doing this because otherwise it does begin to feel like we are just being chippy- or rather we are told we are....
But this is, sadly, just a reflection of the wider society and black faces do not sell as well as lighter skinned ones.
Wider society needs to change as well as children's publishing!
Your last sentence says it all; we have to keep watching and speaking out.
thanks
Catherine x
Hi Laura,
A really interesting paper and very helpful to have it contextualised within this broader framework of 'white privilege'. I see where Ben is coming from but I disagree; I don't think that viewing all these isms as being somehow interchangeable is all that helpful as it ignores the specificity of racism within the wider culture, and within the publishing industry in particular, as opposed to the respective specificities of sexism, classism, heterosexism, disability prejudice, etc,...
As for the book jacket, that seems a clear instance of white washing and it's a great thing that you and the author took Bloomsbury to task on this, hopefully not just effecting the immediate remedy of a change of cover, but also making them reflect more critically upon their practice as publishers in the future.
I've been writing a novel for teenagers (though who knows whether it will ever see the light of day - if it does I'll be sure to let you know how the publishing world greets it! ; ) the inspiration for which came from the desire to write a mystery thriller about a mixed race protagonist, a sort everyman character - like Harry Potter. I was pissed off with trying to find books for my son, who is of mixed heritage himself, which were not solely didactic ones about issues of culture and identity. Although these books are of course essential, there seemed so few novels featuring Black or Mixed Heritage children where their ethnicity and self-identity is not the central issue. Having said this, as a white author, it has been a steep learning curve for me that in the course of writing it, of course issues of cultural heritage and identity have inevitably found their way into the narrative, which still remains broadly a fantasy novel, however.
Considering Tony Medina's poems, it was interesting to read his response... I can see that as he points out there is a tension between representing the world as it is (which both reflects the cultural experience of the children to whom the poems are addressed, and is implicitly political in the breaking of these societal taboos, urging immediate social engagement for change in any adult reading) and protecting young people from exposure to overly painful subjects. But I also remember in one of your Brighton seminars you pointing out that what children are exposed to in film / video games, etc, is far far worse.
Maybe a nostalgic notion of what childhood represents is at play here, a 50s idyll in terms of publishing expectations for the representation a safe and sanitised world within children's fiction - the thing is though, that most children's writers are not out to shock or damage - quite the contrary, the emotional intelligence with which they attempt to address the difficult subjects a child might confront in everyday life - dilemmas, like that stated in the original title, 'DeShawn's Dilemma' - means they hold a child's hand at the same time as presenting a knotty / sad or real life issue, i.e. there is an onus on the narrator to take on the role of a guide in the presentation of their theme, which is ultimately going to be therapeutic and helpful to kids rather than just upsetting...
Anyway, I thought your paper was excellent and all the links really interesting too.
This is such a great article, Laura--you're as courageous as ever, and if it weren't for folks like you, the rest of us would NEVER know what goes on behind publishing's closed doors...we discussed earlier the importance of educators and librarians, since they're often the target market of publishers ~ I've met some incredibly dynamic librarians and teachers, esp in the blogosphere, but I am assured they are the minority. It's important to reach these folks and let them know that books by or about people of color are not ONLY for Black History Month. And "black books" aren't only intended for black children--I've heard librarians say there are no children of color in their school, therefore "those books" aren't in demand. In reality, "those books" are all the more important b/c they effectively "stand in" for the actual children of color who are absent. We need publishers to invest in more "slice of life" stories featuring children of color instead of "tribute books" to important (but deceased) historical figures (which then only get displayed in February)...
This post has been removed by the author.
My guess is there are hundreds of stories just like hers floating out there in the unknown; the publishing industry offers zero transparency, and so we don't know which stories got rejected, we don't know which authors were pressured to change, and which ones got to leave their stories "as is." But I could easily wager a guess...
Thanks for adding your voice to this struggle.
My novel got great responses from publishers but much to my agent's dismay(but not mine) it was eventually reject because white editors and publishers, for the most part, couldn't believe that an African American teenager would act or speak the way my character does in my novel.Black, intelligent, and speaking "standard English" for some reason can't go together. Also,it seems to be a big problem if the black people in a novel live someplace besides the inner city.
Fortunately, I found an independent multicultural press that understands my novel and its message.
However, I am trying to decide what I might want the cover to contain because I don't think that the marketing people are wrong in their assessment that many white people have a problem buying books with black people,especially dark skin black people, on the cover. But at least I will get substantial input into my cover design and there will be other people of color involved in the decision.
Once again thank you for speaking out.
I think Google sites actually has a feature that allows you to upload a document and leave comments. When I go to my Google site, if I click on Create Page, I can choose from Web Page or File Cabinet. Either way, I can leave comments on the page. With Web Page, it allows me to leave comments under the page. With File Cabinet, it allows me to leave comments under the file listing.
The paper was v. interesting. I have a few questions about the book, Liar. How clear is the identity of the young woman in the text of the book itself? Also, I went over to Amazon.com to buy the book (It is not available here in the U.S. until late September.) and I noticed the author is white. Was the author's being white an issue at all in this? Did it make her book more likely to be published? Were her intentions about the character's identity affected by that?
(These are just questions that occurred to me--not criticisms at all.)
Also, I appreciate your inclusion of Tony Medina's comments in your paper.
Mary B.
U.S.
I'm reposting the deleted comment from above:
Thanks, all, for your comments. I want to come back and directly addres them when I have a chance to pull my thoughts together.
In the mean time, I had the following email from an aspiring author. I am removing all identifying features, as s/he has an agent shopping work around. And it's a shame that this topic is so difficult to talk about, that people are afraid they will be somehow 'punished' by publishers if they speak out. But I saw this when I worked in publishing, and I see it now. Publishers have the power, are the gatekeepers, and I haven't found many people in publishing who want to openly discuss these issues in ways that might make people uncomfortable.
Anyways, here is the email:
hi laura,
i read your article with interest but i didn't feel i could comment publicly on the blog as my novels are yet unpublished and i don't want to compromise my chances with a public comment though you can quote me without attribution.
my two novels have been doing the rounds of publishers for 18 months now without success to my agent's puzzlement (my agent is [a very reputable agent]). one is a coming of age story about a girl left behind by her migrant worker mother. and the other is a dystopian fantasy that is based on the experiences of children left behind by migration (this is not obvious though from the actual story).
i have had very enthusiastic, positive responses from publishers but so far not followed up by a contract. repeatedly i hear the words 'quiet literary novel' to describe my work although i myself would not describe my work as such.
i worked with my agent on the manuscript of my coming of age novel which is in the voice of a teenage girl. my agent urged me to give my character what i can only describe as a more western voice (more reactive, less reflective, bolshier) because this was what the publishers were likely to be attracted to. i did my best without compromising the authenticity of my character's cultural background. but it was tough. i believe my story is strong enough to carry through without my heroine adopting a western voice.
[name of large publishing house] responded to our submission by saying, "this is a strong novel, but it would compete the work of our other authors ... [name of established white author] already writes about [a contentinent, not Asia]." my novels are set in southeast Asia which is on the other side of the world to [above continent]. it makes me think that my ethnicity and the fact that my books are set in other countries lumps me into a vague category - the third world stuff category - which is already dominated by authors like [above-mentioned white author].
I had a meeting with [editor at another reputable publisher]. she urged me to set my books in england, and to explore more commercial ideas (eg. she said i could probably write like Louise Rennison)
I hope it aint necessarily so. we will find out when i finally get through the first set of publishing gatekeepers.
thanks again for your thoughtful piece.
Hi Laura--thanks for that great and very insightful piece--I really loved your shoring up of the anecdotal evidence, and the piece is written in a style that's lucid and attractive.
I wonder if you want to talk about questions of demographics in multicultural publishing at some point in the future--what does this politically correct sounding term actually mean (for the ignoramus!)? Do these companies have a majority of white or non-white employees? Do they have a conscious agenda of furthering diversity, or is the diversity just "accidental" owing to the non-white ethnicity of the authors or publishers?
Keep up the provoking thoughts--looking forward to reading more of them!
Hi Laura, you might remember me from the Roehampton MA where we met :). Hope you are well.
I am half English and half Bangladeshi and write books for children. Basically my response to your article is OMG, you are so right and thank heavens someone is saying something about it. The childrens publishing industry in the UK at any rate (dont know anything about the US) is highly biased towards the perceived needs of white, middle class people. And (no offence to the original poster, I am just picking up on the phrase) but we dont need more "provoking thoughts", we need something doing about it, now.
You might be interested in a piece I wrote on my blog recently which says a lot about how I, personally, feel. Its not terribly well argued or anything, but it is an honest expression of my feelings as a non-white childrens writer.
There is also a link to the short but important article on Bookbrunch which triggered my own post.
http://bookchildworld.wordpress.com/2009/05/29/an-entirely-personal-response-to-an-important-topic/
p.s. apologies for the lack of apostrophes, Im typing on a foreign keyboard set-up.
As someone from the UK, I just wanted to comment that I find the term 'person of color' very confusing.
In Europe, many groups with ostensibly white skin experience racism, for example on the basis of accent or first language.
I would imagine that the same is true in the USA - that various groups of people with white skin experience racial prejudice.
Hi, Purpletigron. I'm Canadian, but based in the US, and I'm glad you raised this point; b/c race is socially constructed, it functions differently in different societies. Here in the US, which is a society that values whiteness over all other races (Black, Latino, Native American, Asian), a white person would not likely experience racism. S/he might experience *prejudice* based on class, or region (accent), or sexual orientation, ability, age, etc. But people of color in the US do not have the collective, institutional power to commit racism against whites. I personally *really* dislike the term "non-white," though I understand it is commonly used and accepted in the UK. As a black woman, I would *never* want to be defined as a negation--non-white, non-male, non-rich, etc. People of color is a term that refers to anyone in the racial groups listed above. In Europe and the US, whites may share a racial category, but ethnicities vary; for example, here in the US a white person may identify as Irish or Sicilian, and that is their *ethnic* identity, but it does not override their *racial* identity, which is still white. White supremacist ideology tries to convince all whites that their differences don't matter--it's "us against them." But really, many immigrants, regardless of race, have common experiences, values, and interests. Often class is the factor that is overlooked in the rush to divide people according to race.
My experience has been quite similar, especially when I've worked with Viking, the biggest publisher I am affiliated with.
In fact I have an anecdote that very much corroborates your experience.
My new book BIG RED LOLLIPOP is due to come out in spring 2010. It's about a Pakistani-American girl who is invited to a birthday party but her little sister wants to tag along.
The mother sees no problem with that because in Pakistan, if you invite one kid you have to invite the whole family.
Rubina says, "I can't take her, she's not invited."
"Why not?" says Ami.
"They don't do that here!"
Even in the primary edit my editor picked up on the 'they don't do that here', asking me to soften the tone of it. But I resisted. Frankly, that's the way an ethnic minority would talk about the majority. But to 'white'
ears it seems to sound harsh.
Well, I won out for a while, but when the book was picked up by Junior Library Guild, guess what line they wanted changed?
Yup, same line. It was a sale of over 5600 books. I'm pragmatic enough to pick my battles and yes, I caved and changed it to something like, "People here don't do that." Even though it's a more awkward phrasing.
And yet with another publisher I work with, Groundwood, it's been the opposite experience.
I was commissioned by the Canadian government to write a book about what it feels like to immigrate to Canada. This book would be given to each immigrant family that comes to Canada to facilitate their adjustment.
Well I had a number of lines in there where the two children go to a new school and the vice-principal, an East-Indian lady is wearing western clothes. The boy turns to his sister and says, "Doesn't she look silly, she thinks she's white."
I knew it was risky to put it in there and yet that's precisely what this character would say. It was relevant because later in the story when the mother gets a job at a coffee shop and wears western clothes, the same boy doesn't say a word.
Well, the educator consultants on the project objected. Not only to that one reference but to anything that was the least bit controversial. Having dealt with enough educator types, I was sanguine about it and ready to make the changes. My publisher was livid.
We made the changes, we had to, as they were footing the bill, but Groundwood ended up making another version of the story, and here we put everything they'd changed, right back in the story!
One of the things I've had to come to terms with is that it's all about angles. When I'm trying to tell a story from my cultural background I'm very aware that it has to get past white middle-class sensibilities. It's possible, it just means a bit of angling on my part to portray the story in just the right way.
This is one of the reasons I really don't play around too much with story structure.
I figure the reader is already feeling a bit disoriented with this strange culture, so I stick to basic story structure, nothing experimental, so they have something to feel grounded with.
Just my thoughts on the process.
All the best,
Rukhsana
I am a UK school librarian, and feel that publishers are mistaken when they avoid covers that feature black/mixed race faces. While I am white myself, well over half the children in my school are black or mixed race and I positively seek out books that will appeal to them. It is particularly frustrating to find books that I know are about black or mixed race children, but which fail to show it on the cover. Malorie Blackman is well enough known now that children know what to expect, but that has not always been true, and yet the cover of her book Antidote, for example, is totally lacking in indications of the race of the characters.
Moreover, I hope that even if I were in a school with all white children, I would still see it as important to feature books showing black and mixed race children, as they are a significant part of our society.
Very well written article. Makes many good points, but I was particularly struck by your observations about the perceived need to target a "universal" audience. In a world where we increasingly accept that market forces drive decision making in the corporate world, that could be a very difficult problem to overcome.
A quick word about libraries: I think it's important that libraries - and especially school libraries - contain books that reflect diverse experiences. My seven year old daughter loves reading and is currently very receptive to new ideas. This is the best possible time for her to start learning about lives and cultures different from her own. She is white and lives in a community where the majority are white, so books are a great way to compensate for what she does not experience first hand.
Thank you a thousand times for writing this. The specificity of your experience on "the inside" is priceless. We need so many more of these stories to get out. And for much much more of this kind of discussion.
And my vote is that we keep the conversation focused on RACISM and not let it get way fuzzy. There could perhaps be another, different, conversation about sexism or whatever else. But we have to keep underlining that racism is its own thing with its own historical concreteness. Saying it's just like any other kind of bias is to muddy not clarify.
Thank you so so much for this work you've done. May there be lots more!
I'm sending the link out into the twitterverse. I hope you will all do the same. And that it reaches as many agents, editors, and publishers as possible.
Laura, this is a fantastic post. I especially love the idea that in the Native American tradition, a boy having an ongoing conversation with a rock would not be considered fantasy.
To me, this is so key to the way the publishing industry is set up. It leans toward ONE particular aesthetic and set of values, and posits them as THE aesthetic and set of values. This was the impetus behind my post on aesthetics within publishing (http://bit.ly/siT8D), and I truly hope more editors and publishers join the conversation about diversity within children's publishing. It's not as simple as having White authors write the books they would write anyway, then changing their names to obviously "ethnic" names and making the characters PoC. That *still* erases the experience of PoC.
I also appreciate you sharing your experience with editing Medina's book. While I fully understand his follow-up comment and that he felt the edits made his book stronger; I also see it within the context of a larger publishing machine that tends to push for homogeneity and caters to the needs of the market--which is not always the children who would benefit most from having their *true* realities reflected within the pages of a book.
All of this "softening and prettying up" of a painful experience smacks of the images we see every day of PoC -- images that are lightened, noses that are air-brushed to be straighter, women's legs made to look longer, etc. in magazines and on billboards. These images are simply not true reflections and they contribute to the erosion of self-esteem in children who never see themselves and their lives accurately represented. They see that they do not exist, or the way that they exist is not acceptable or worth representation.
We have a long way to go, but I'm hopeful that through connection, dialogue, and a willingness to engage, we're on our way to a more accurate representation of the world we live in, and the children who need our stories.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home