Wait, is she Black

Unsuccessful White Pass in Tiffany D. Jackson's The Weight of Blood

Bibliographic Data

ID3444516
AuthorsMonica Myllymäki (University of Turku), Mehdi Ghasemi (0000-0002-3414-5318, University of Turku)
Year2025
Volume56
Issue8
Pages675-692
Publication date2025-09-22
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Black Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-9347 • E-ISSN: 1552-4566
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/00219347251376391
OpenAlexW4414409633
LanguageEN
References cited14

In this article, we study Tiffany D. Jackson's novel The Weight of Blood (2022) as a neo-passing narrative that interrogates the colour-blind ideology and the idea of a post-racial society. By focussing on the biracial character of Maddy Washington, we explore the necessity of white passing in contemporary American society and examine her challenges after her unsuccessful attempt at passing. We aim to show that, despite the false claims of post-racialism, racial predicaments are still intact in American society in the 21st century. To offer a better analysis of the novel, we draw upon W.E.B. Du Bois's notions of the "colour-line" and "double consciousness." Du Bois's theories enable us to further explore the black-white racial hierarchies and dichotomies, as well as the persistence of colour-blindness within today's American society

Gender, Feminism, and Media · Media Studies and Communication · Names, Identity, and Discrimination Research

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