Black Grief/White Grievance: The Politics of Loss

In democracies, citizens must accept loss, but in the United States, the fundamental civic capacity of being able to lose is not distributed equally. Black citizens are expected to be political heroes whose civic suffering enables progress toward racial justice, while white citizens are accustomed to winning. Juliet Hooker argues that the two most important forces driving racial politics in the United States today are Black grief and white grievance. She examines key moments in US racial politics that illustrate the problem of loss in democracy and calls for an expansion of Black and white political imaginations to learn to sit with loss.

Format: Hardback
Length: 360 pages
Publication date: 03 October 2023
Publisher: Princeton University Press

In democracies, citizens must embrace the inevitability of loss, as we cannot always emerge victorious. However, in the United States, the fundamental civic ability to accept defeat is not universally distributed. This uneven distribution is rooted in white supremacy, which has accustomed whites, as a collective, to prevailing and exercising political power without the necessity of sharing it. Conversely, black citizens are expected to be political heroes who endure civic suffering in pursuit of racial justice.

In her groundbreaking book, Juliet Hooker, a renowned scholar on democracy and race, delves into the intricate dynamics driving racial politics in the United States today. She argues that two of the most significant forces shaping this landscape are black grief and white grievance. Black grief manifests in the ongoing protests against police violence, representing a longstanding tradition of violent deaths and subsequent public mourning that fuels black political mobilization. On the other hand, white grievance imagines the United States as a white country under siege, a narrative that has been perpetuated for generations.

Drawing upon African American political thought, Hooker examines pivotal moments in US racial politics that shed light on the challenges of loss within a democratic system. She connects the Black Lives Matter movement to the historical use of lynching photographs to evoke public outrage over racial terror during the post-Reconstruction era. She also explores the funeral of Emmett Till as a catalyst for the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and 1960s. Furthermore, she traces the political weaponization of white victimhood during the Obama and Trump presidencies.

In her compelling argument, Hooker calls for a broadening of black and white political imaginations. She advocates for both groups to learn to sit with loss, for distinct reasons and pursuing different ends. By acknowledging and confronting loss, Hooker believes, we can cultivate a more inclusive and equitable society where the experiences and perspectives of all individuals are valued and respected.

This book is a vital contribution to the ongoing dialogue about race and democracy in the United States. It challenges us to confront the historical and systemic inequalities that have perpetuated black grief and white grievance. By understanding the complexities of loss and its impact on our political landscape, we can work towards creating a more just and equitable society for all.

Weight: 616g
Dimension: 148 x 224 x 36 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691243030