Enlightened Sexism: The Seductive Message that Feminism’s Work is Done
The intriguing oxymoron Enlightened Sexism is the title of the latest work from the cultural critic who gave us the insightful The Mommy Myth. Enlightened sexism is defined as “a response, deliberate or not, to the perceived threat of a new gender regime.”
She chronicles in great detail the media’s depiction of women and girls, describing the repulsive devolution of these images over the last two decades, especially in television and magazines. Among the worst components she cites are “renewed and amplified objectification of women’s bodies and faces,” and “duel exploitation and punishment of female sexuality.”
Enlightened Sexism, written by Susan J. Douglas; Times Books; 354 pages.
You may not have heard of Nell Irvin Painter, one of America’s foremost historians. Not yet. But hopefully that will change. She already has several other well-received and innovative titles available. Her new book The History of White People proves that no one writing in the academy today can touch her in terms of sheer insight and originality. She synthesizes a huge array of sources, and then weaves them into a smooth narrative with subject matter that is greater than the sum of its parts.
The Greatest Silence, Rape in the Congo Winner – Special Jury Prize Documentary 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Staff Reports
UNC Asheville’s Music Department will continue its spring concert season with three performances in March, ranging from jazz to chamber music. Concerts will be held in Lipinsky Auditorium. Admission is $5 at the door.
Thursday, March 18
Student jazz combos, under the direction of Rich Willey and Tom Coppola, will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 18. Each group will perform a variety of music from composers such as Duke Ellington to Wayne Shorter. The concert will include vocal and instrumental selections.
University of North Carolina Asheville will host an evening with acclaimed Civil Rights leader and songstress Bernice Johnson Reagon at 7 p.m. Friday, March 19, in UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium.
Reagon, who has been selected to give the May 2010 UNC Asheville commencement address, will engage the audience in her signature “song-talk” style. The event is free and open to the public; American Sign Language interpretation will be provided.
A native of Georgia, Reagon became involved in the Civil Rights movement as a college student. She was an original member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee Freedom Singers and a founding member of the Harambee Singers. While a graduate student at Howard University, she served as vocal director of the D.C. Black Repertory Theatre, and is the founder of the internationally renowned African American women’s a capella ensemble Sweet Honey In The Rock. She led the group until retiring in early 2004.
Professor emeritus of history at American University, Reagon also served as curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and as the 2002-04 Cosby Chair of Fine Arts at Spelman College. However, music remained a constant for Reagon. She acted as music consultant, composer and performer for several film and video projects, including the award-winning Eyes on the Prize, the Emmy-winning We Shall Overcome, and the feature film Beloved. She wrote the seminal texts on the subject of African American sacred music, and has been featured on numerous solo and group recordings with Sweet Honey In The Rock.
Reagon’s pioneering work in music, activism and scholastics have been recognized with the Heinz Award for the Arts and Humanities, the Leeway National Award for Women in the Arts, the Presidential Medal for contribution to public understanding of the humanities, and the MacArthur Fellowship.
For more information, call UNC Asheville’s Provost Office at (828) 251-6470.
Mo’Nique wins an Oscar! The stunning full-figured beauty won best supporting actress at the 82nd Academy Awards. The comedienne, actress turned talk-show host gave a breath-taking performance in Precious, one of the must-see movies of 2009. Mo’Nique dedicated her acceptance speech to Hattie McDaniel, the first African American to win an Oscar, and she wore a royal blue gown in her honor, as did McDaniel 71 years ago.
Though her co-star didn’t win an Oscar, Gabourey Sidibe was as proud of Mo’Nique as if she had. Sidibe should be proud to have been nominated for her first acting gig. Both she and Mo’Nique won NAACP and Independent Spirit awards for their performances.
Reviews by Sharon Shervington
Review by Sharon Shervington
