CCBC-Net Archives
Re: Multicultural Literature, continued
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From: Elizabeth Bluemle <ehbluemle_at_gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 05 Feb 2014 20:23:04 -0500
Allison, I loved your post.
One line makes me ponder, though:
'I think there is a way to write (and draw) "multicultural" characters that are true to the culture from which they hail without transforming the plot into "once upon a time there was an Asian girl, the end."'
The phrase 'true to the culture from which they hail' can be a slippery slope. Some people (not you!, I'm sure) tend to imagine similar stories for people in cultures that are not their own, which can lead to rejections of books about characters who don't fit our notions of how they live. So authors of color who write books about, say, upper class non-white families, sometimes encounter resistance from editors or publishers. White characters are allowed to be rich, poor, speak well or not, etc., but main characters of color are often expected to fit in much smaller boxes. (This is based on many conversations I've had with authors of color who write about characters within their own race but with experiences outside the stereotypes we've come to expect.)
I don't think this is a bias editors are aware of and intentionally perpetuating, but it is something we need to be aware of. I am constantly finding myself needing to re-examine my own assumptions and actions, and I try to be really aware of this stuff, but it is SO ingrained in us, from our earliest days, that it's a constant endeavor.
(I've got a cold/flu coming on so this may not be as coherent as I'd like.)
I so appreciate this topic of conversation!! Thank you, Ginny and Katy and CCBC folk!
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Bluemle Co-owner, The Flying Pig Bookstore 5247 Shelburne Road, Suite 102 Shelburne, VT 05482 802-985-3999 www.flyingpigbooks.com
Check out our PW blog at www.publishersweekly.com/blogs/shelftalker. For my author website, visit www.elizabethbluemle.com.
Date: Wed, 05 Feb 2014 20:23:04 -0500
Allison, I loved your post.
One line makes me ponder, though:
'I think there is a way to write (and draw) "multicultural" characters that are true to the culture from which they hail without transforming the plot into "once upon a time there was an Asian girl, the end."'
The phrase 'true to the culture from which they hail' can be a slippery slope. Some people (not you!, I'm sure) tend to imagine similar stories for people in cultures that are not their own, which can lead to rejections of books about characters who don't fit our notions of how they live. So authors of color who write books about, say, upper class non-white families, sometimes encounter resistance from editors or publishers. White characters are allowed to be rich, poor, speak well or not, etc., but main characters of color are often expected to fit in much smaller boxes. (This is based on many conversations I've had with authors of color who write about characters within their own race but with experiences outside the stereotypes we've come to expect.)
I don't think this is a bias editors are aware of and intentionally perpetuating, but it is something we need to be aware of. I am constantly finding myself needing to re-examine my own assumptions and actions, and I try to be really aware of this stuff, but it is SO ingrained in us, from our earliest days, that it's a constant endeavor.
(I've got a cold/flu coming on so this may not be as coherent as I'd like.)
I so appreciate this topic of conversation!! Thank you, Ginny and Katy and CCBC folk!
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Bluemle Co-owner, The Flying Pig Bookstore 5247 Shelburne Road, Suite 102 Shelburne, VT 05482 802-985-3999 www.flyingpigbooks.com
Check out our PW blog at www.publishersweekly.com/blogs/shelftalker. For my author website, visit www.elizabethbluemle.com.
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Received on Wed 05 Feb 2014 07:24:03 PM CST
