Faculty Members at Arizona State U. Condemn ‘White Ownership’ of Shakespeare
“He is the epitome of what they consider white exceptionalism…and this is why he’s valuable”
This is so ridiculous. Shakespeare is for everyone. This story even manages to include a reference to January 6th if you can believe it.
The College Fix reports:
Arizona State U. scholars condemn ‘white ownership’ of Shakespeare
Two faculty members condemned “white ownership” of Shakespeare and the state’s manipulation of black history during an “Appropriation Series” at Arizona State University last week.
The scholars are pushing for changes in curriculum and leadership that reflect more “diverse” voices. During the panel, they spoke to eleven ASU students in the audience and other faculty members via Zoom.
English Professor Ruben Espinosa argued that Shakespeare’s legacy has been manipulated for purposes of exclusion and viewed through a lens of “white superiority.”
He said that for the Jan. 6 “insurrectionists” at the U.S. capitol, Shakespeare represents a symbol of “white exceptionalism” and “racial hierarchy.”
The organizers sent a letter to the Folger Shakespeare Library, the world’s largest Shakespeare collection located one block from the U.S. Capitol, and not to other institutions like the Library of Congress to notify them of the protest beforehand, he said.
Espinosa said this act reflects the insurrectionists’ perception of Shakespeare as an emblem of “white superiority,” which is why they deemed it important to protect the library during the protest.
“Shakespeare sits atop of that racial hierarchy. He is the epitome of what they consider white exceptionalism…and this is why he’s valuable,” the English professor said.
Espinosa also argued that the Shakespeare Library has a historical legacy tied to anti-immigrant and white exceptionalist sentiments, reflected in its founding leadership and early rhetoric.
He said that “the first director of the library, Joseph Quincy Adams” saw the institution as “a preservation of the language of the American people at a time when immigrants are coming in like locusts to steal our culture, to steal our language.”
“This is the way he imagined immigration,” Espinosa said.
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Comments
“White ownership of Shakespeare”? Say what? His work has been translated into nearly every language I can think of, as has every major author in every major language!! I can read Borges, Cervantes, Baudelaire, Voltaire, Imre Madach, Alfred Doblin and other authors in their original language if I choose, but often read them in English. Nobody claims “ownership” over them. They were great authors. I also read authors from the Commonwealth, contemporary Asian authors and South American authors. “White Supremacy” indeed…BULL $H!T!
We can observe that while William Shakespeare is not perfect his work is widely recognized in multiple cultures as a gift to all. In short we can say of the old Bard using his words from King Lear, that his is “a man more sinned against than sinning.” I doubt his critics could say that about themselves.
But I think that old Bard could also have observed the current climate of cultural insanity and exclaimed as in Macbeth, “Or have we eaten on the insane root, That takes the reason prisoner?”
Condemn white ownership of Shakespeare.
How about black owership of Stabbing?
If they weren’t racist they do rap musical of hamlet?
Considering his depictions of cross-dressing and ambiguous same-sex relationships (Twelfth Night), interracial relationships (Othello), and a man full of “toxic” masculinity being brought down by mommy issues (Coriolanus), you’d think Shakespeare would be more popular with this crowd.
Now do Newton.
And Mill.
Othello, Shylock, Hippolyta, and Cleopatra were unavailable for comment.
Frankly, these “scholars” don’t belong in a university; they belong in an insane asylum.