Invention of the white race

Brad De Long delong at econ.Berkeley.EDU
Thu May 28 06:44:06 PDT 1998


Re:
>
>The white race was not just invented once, but reinvented a second time
>in the period 1930-1950.
>--
>Jim heartfield

More than once.

When, in Noel Ignatiev's words, did the Irish become white? My mother (descended from a long line of Boston WASPS) still uses "paddy wagon" idiomatically, unselfconsciously, and unreflexively for police prisoner transport van--a linguistic relic of a time before the Irish were white.

And here in California (at least) Asian-Americans (those whose ancestors come from East Asia *and* from South Asia, with the exception of those whose ancestors come from the Philippines and from southeast Asia), are rapidly becoming becoming white (or maybe in world-historical context it is us European-Americans who are becoming honorary members of the Central Country).

Brad DeLong



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