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/lp/state-university-of-new-york-press/rethinking-intersectionality-michelle-obama-presumed-subjects-and-0nKjkH6hHg
- Publisher
- State University of New York Press
- ISSN
- 2155-0905
Abstract
Rethinking “Intersectionality” Michelle Obama, Presumed Subjects, and Constitutive Privilege Erin C. Tarver In february 2008, Michelle Obama famously said to a gathering of supporters, “For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country.” (Associ - ated Press 2008). Her comment was swiftly seized upon by journalists and members of rival political campaigns, who used it to portray Mrs. Obama as “angr y” and unpatriotic. In the weeks that followed, Mrs. Obama’s under- graduate sociology thesis on black students at Princeton was cited as further evidence of her supposed racial resentment and lack of patriotism, and there were widespread rumors that an audiotape existed of her using the word whitey. Around the same time, Fox News ran a headline referring to Mrs. Obama as “Obama’s Baby Mama” (Koppleman 2008). Subsequently, there was a concerted effort on the part of Mr. Obama’s campaign to “soften” her image through appearances on the shows The View and Paula’s Party, and a speech at the Democratic National Convention that highlighted her motherhood and adora- tion of her husband, and avoided mention of her own career or political work. Despite such efforts, and perhaps in tension with the Obama
Journal
philoSOPHIA – State University of New York Press
Published: Jun 5, 2012