INK PRESENTATION

The Role of Media in Representing the Invisible Burden of Racism in “Citizen” by Claudia Rankine

OUTLINE

I- The Referential Framework of Rankine’s WorkII- American Socio-Political Context in CitizenIII- Social Media as a Poetic ToolIV- Impact on Readers and Contemporary Writing

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

2014

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David Hammons

• Prominent American Artist.
• Engages with themes of race, identity, politics, and culture..
• Creates thought-provoking pieces using repurposed materials, reflecting African American experiences.

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In the Hood by David Hammons, 1993. Source: Stamm

Views of Hammons’s “A Movable Object / A Japanese Garden,” “In the Hood,” and “Which Mike Do You Want to Be Like . . . ?”Photograph by Raymond Meier for The New Yorker

I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background.

quotation from Zora Neale Hurston that recurs in "Citizen" (p27)

I- The Referential Framework of Rankine’s Work

YouTube video by Hennessy Youngman

"Youngman’s suggestions are meant to expose expectations for blackness as well as to underscore the difficulty inherent in any attempt by black artists to metabolize real rage." Citizen, p26

Claudia Rankine and John Lucas initiated their “situation” collaboration after witnessing the media coverage of Hurricane Katrina on television.

Wading Through the Flood by Matthew Moran

Claudia Rankine: From Citizen: Situation 7

Situation 5, by Claudia Rankine and John Lucas

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Claudia Rankine & John Lucas: Situation 11

Zinedine Zidane Incident:

By incorporating media references, Rankine encourages readers to think about how media stories shape perceptions of race and affect marginalized communities.

II- American Socio-Political Context in Citizen

Historical Timeline:

Slavery and Segregation:The history of slavery and the Jim Crow era enforced racial segregation. Civil Rights Movement: Key events like the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, including figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Contemporary Issues: Ongoing issues such as police brutality, the Black Lives Matter movement, and recent events highlighting racial injustice.

Socio-political moments in recent American history

Obama Era: Hopes for a post-racial U.S. faded after events like Michael Brown’s 2013 death.Trump and Racism: Open racism increased during Trump's 2016 campaign. Rankine’s Warning: Trump’s term highlighted white power; Rankine calls for confronting white privilege. Citizen documents racism to raise awareness and inspire change.

III- Social Media as a Poetic Tool

• Citizen shows how social media affects how we see race and racism.
• Twitter and other sites are where people see and talk about racism.
• Social media gives people a voice but also repeats painful moments.
• Rankine uses both poetry and media to make Citizen a powerful record of racism today.

Today, social media enables the mass-circulation of these violent images. Rankine explained that while they have been useful in igniting social movements, such as in the ongoing George Floyd protests, they are also harmful.

Poet Claudia Rankine on “Citizen” and how imagery can propel a movement

In a 2006 interview with Jennifer Flescher and Robert Casper, Rankine talks about the importance of using an investigative approach to challenge these mediated portrayals.

Tana Jean Welch,Don’t Let Me Be Lonely: The Trans-Corporeal

IV- Impact on Readers and Contemporary Writing

• Citizen makes readers reflect on their biases and experiences with racism.
• The book inspires, talks about race and identity, leading to more awareness and action.
• Rankine’s blend of poetry and visuals encourages hybrid and non-linear writing styles.
• Citizen has pushed more writers to tackle social justice issues in their work.

Literary scholars have begun to consider the interactions between literature and new media, examining the new types of texts and the new forms of representation, publication and reception that digital culture spawns.

ACTA UNIV. SAPIENTIAE, FILM AND MEDIA STUDIES, 10 (2015) 169–182

E.E Cummings

CONCLUSION

Thanks

Bibliography

Rankine, Claudia, Citizen : an American Lyric. Minneapolis, Minnesota :Graywolf Press, 2014.MORAN, M. Wading through the Flood: The Transcultural Counterwitness, Hurricane Katrina, and Video Poetry. Papers on Language & Literature, [s. l.], v. 58, n. 2, p. 135–164, 2022. Schaefer, H. (2015). Poetry in Transmedial Perspective: Rethinking Intermedial Literary Studies in the Digital Age. Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Film and Media Studies, pp. 170-182. Michael Hinds, « Claudia Rankine’s Citizen: A Network-Text », Sillages critiques [En ligne], 33 | 2022, mis en ligne le 31 décembre 2022, consulté le 13 novembre 2024. Review of Claudia Rankine's "Citizen" | Center for Civil Rights and Racial Justice, Submitted by Sahar Aziz on Wed, 04/18/2018 - 04:01

Bibliography

Craig, Sophie. "Poet Claudia Rankine on *Citizen* and How Imagery Can Propel a Movement." *Columbia Spectator*, 30 October 2020, www.columbiaspectator.com/arts-and-entertainment/2020/10/30/poet-claudia-rankine-on-citizen-and-how-imagery-can-propel-a-movement/.Curran, Lara. "What Is David Hammons Best Known For?" TheCollector.com, January 28, 2024, https://www.thecollector.com/what-david-hammons-best-known-for/.

Bibliography

Craig, Sophie. "Poet Claudia Rankine on *Citizen* and How Imagery Can Propel a Movement." *Columbia Spectator*, 30 October 2020, www.columbiaspectator.com/arts-and-entertainment/2020/10/30/poet-claudia-rankine-on-citizen-and-how-imagery-can-propel-a-movement/.Curran, Lara. "What Is David Hammons Best Known For?" TheCollector.com, January 28, 2024, https://www.thecollector.com/what-david-hammons-best-known-for/.

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