Why I Hate Abercrombie and Fitch : Essays on Race and Sexuality (05 Edition)

View the #LINK<Table of Contents>#.   Read the #LINK<Preface>#.

"Possibly the best title of the season."—Books to Watch out For

"A thrilling, imaginative, and brilliant reading of contemporary cultural politics from one of the freshest voices in the field today. Dwight McBride's graceful prose, sharp wit, and sound judgments leap from every page. His essays sparkle with abundant intelligence—and a striking personal investment—as they lead the reader through a complex array of ideas, practices, and situations without losing sight of the ultimate intellectual and political liberation at which they aim. Bravo!"

—Michael Eric Dyson, author of The Michael Eric Dyson Reader

"A fair warning from an intelligent, well-informed writer"

—Alter Magazine

"McBride has emerged as one of the most eloquent public voices in both queer studies and black studies. In this wide-ranging book—written with intelligence, passion, and humor—he brings the insights of each field to the blind spots of the other. We all have something to learn from him."

—Michael Warner, Rutgers University

"McBride's heady collection is an accessible think piece, starting with its agreeable title and its pointed essay of the same name."

—Time Out New York

"This collection breaks new ground for contemporary cultural criticism. McBride's look at homophobia in traditional African-American studies is an emphatic but penetrating critique of the discipline, and his explication of the ghettoization of black men in gay male porn is truly original work with ramifications well outside of queer studies."

—Publishers Weekly

"McBride's prose is smart, on-target, and very readable. These essays are not simply illuminating, but some of the most eye-opening commentaries on gay culture to be published in years."

—Between the Lines

"This is one thought-provoking book."

— HX/HOMO XTRA

"Dwight A. McBride writes eloquently about the issues of race and homosexuality."

—Philadelphia Gay News

"McBridge expends more intellectual energy justifying his dislike of the popular clothing chain than perhaps any other person on the planet."

—Evenings Out Chronicle

"Eloquent collection...engagingly- and, for an academic, unorthodoxly- autobiographical."

—San Francisco Bay Time

"McBride's volume is a provacative and wide ranging exploration of a range of issues relating to race and sexuality."—Bay Area Reporter

"The book's namesake essay- a scathingly detailed and systematic study of the history, advertising practices, and hiring policies that comprise the "cult of Abercrombie"- makes the collection a mindblowing must-read...timely, disconcerting, and riveting in a way that academic writing should be, but rarely is."—Girlfriends

"Working across cultural studies, gay and lesbian studies, and race, ethnicity, and feminist studies, McBride attempts to ponder, address, and, where possible, rescue both African American studies and queer theory from the pitfalls of ignoring each other. This project is admirable to the extent that, not unlike black feminists a decade or more ago, scholars and intellectuals of McBride's generation refuse to make choices between race and sexuality- especially when that sexuality is considered deviant."

—GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies

Why hate Abercrombie? In a world rife with human cruelty and oppression, why waste your scorn on a popular clothing retailer? The rationale, Dwight A. McBride argues, lies in "the banality of evil," or the quiet way discriminatory hiring practices and racist ad campaigns seep into and reflect malevolent undertones in American culture.

McBride maintains that issues of race and sexuality are often subtle and always messy, and his compelling new book does not offer simple answers. Instead, in a collection of essays about such diverse topics as biased marketing strategies, black gay media representations, the role of African American studies in higher education, gay personal ads, and pornography, he offers the evolving insights of one black gay male scholar.

As adept at analyzing affirmative action as dissecting Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, McBride employs a range of academic, journalistic, and autobiographical writing styles. Each chapter speaks a version of the truth about black gay male life, African American studies, and the black community. Original and astute, Why I Hate AbercrombieandFitch is a powerful vision of a rapidly changing social landscape.

Praise for Impossible Witnesses:

"A necessary and compelling work.

—Toni Morrison

"McBride teases out complexity and depth heretofore overlooked. Don't miss this important text!"

—Cornel West

"Ambitious and thought-provoking."

—The Journal of American History

"'Where does the black gay man go where he can see himself reflected back to himself in all the complex ways in which he exists in the world?' asks the chair of the African American Studies department at Northwestern University. In this collection of 10 smart, provocative essays, McBride explores, from varying vantage points (interracial gay male porn; the essays of Cornel West; the racial implications of Ellen DeGeneres's coming-out show; the way the hair and clothing guidelines for Abercrombie & Fitch employees ensure an almost all-white staff), the tenuous position of a clear, distinct, gay black male presence and voice in cultural discourse and argues for an end to the relative silence. Some of McBride's analysis is perceptive but unsurprising (e.g., his short piece on the role of rage and frustration in the 1995 Los Angeles riots), and his focus on the 'bourgeois, well-educated, fairly cosmopolitan gay man' largely shrugs off discussions of class. But much of this collection breaks new ground for contemporary cultural criticism. McBride's look at homophobia in traditional African-American studies is an empathetic but penetrating critique of the discipline, and his explication of the ghettoization of black men in gay male porn (which moves into a more complicated discussion of online sex sites) is truly original work with ramifications well outside of queer studies." Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

View the Table of Contents. Read the Preface.

Possibly the best title of the season.--Books to Watch out For

A thrilling, imaginative, and brilliant reading of contemporary cultural politics from one of the freshest voices in the field today. Dwight McBride's graceful prose, sharp wit, and sound judgments leap from every page. His essays sparkle with abundant intelligence--and a striking personal investment--as they lead the reader through a complex array of ideas, practices, and situations without losing sight of the ultimate intellectual and political liberation at which they aim. Bravo

--Michael Eric Dyson, author of The Michael Eric Dyson Reader

A fair warning from an intelligent, well-informed writer

--Alter Magazine

McBride has emerged as one of the most eloquent public voices in both queer studies and black studies. In this wide-ranging book--written with intelligence, passion, and humor--he brings the insights of each field to the blind spots of the other. We all have something to learn from him.

--Michael Warner, Rutgers University

McBride's heady collection is an accessible think piece, starting with its agreeable title and its pointed essay of the same name.

--Time Out New York

This collection breaks new ground for contemporary cultural criticism. McBride's look at homophobia in traditional African-American studies is an emphatic but penetrating critique of the discipline, and his explication of the ghettoization of black men in gay male porn is truly original work with ramifications well outside of queer studies.

--Publishers Weekly

McBride's prose is smart, on-target, and very readable. These essays are not simplyilluminating, but some of the most eye-opening commentaries on gay culture to be published in years.

--Between the Lines

This is one thought-provoking book.

-- HX/HOMO XTRA

Dwight A. McBride writes eloquently about the issues of race and homosexuality.

--Philadelphia Gay News

McBridge expends more intellectual energy justifying his dislike of the popular clothing chain than perhaps any other person on the planet.

--Evenings Out Chronicle

Eloquent collection...engagingly- and, for an academic, unorthodoxly- autobiographical.

--San Francisco Bay Time

McBride's volume is a provacative and wide ranging exploration of a range of issues relating to race and sexuality.--Bay Area Reporter

The book's namesake essay- a scathingly detailed and systematic study of the history, advertising practices, and hiring policies that comprise the cult of Abercrombie- makes the collection a mindblowing must-read...timely, disconcerting, and riveting in a way that academic writing should be, but rarely is.--Girlfriends

Working across cultural studies, gay and lesbian studies, and race, ethnicity, and feminist studies, McBride attempts to ponder, address, and, where possible, rescue both African American studies and queer theory from the pitfalls of ignoring each other. This project is admirable to the extent that, not unlike black feminists a decade or more ago, scholars and intellectuals of McBride's generation refuse to make choices between race and sexuality- especially when that sexuality is considered deviant.

--GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies

Why hate Abercrombie? In a world rife with human cruelty and oppression, why wasteyour scorn on a popular clothing retailer? The rationale, Dwight A. McBride argues, lies in the banality of evil, or the quiet way discriminatory hiring practices and racist ad campaigns seep into and reflect malevolent undertones in American culture.

McBride maintains that issues of race and sexuality are often subtle and always messy, and his compelling new book does not offer simple answers. Instead, in a collection of essays about such diverse topics as biased marketing strategies, black gay media representations, the role of African American studies in higher education, gay personal ads, and pornography, he offers the evolving insights of one black gay male scholar.

As adept at analyzing affirmative action as dissecting Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, McBride employs a range of academic, journalistic, and autobiographical writing styles. Each chapter speaks a version of the truth about black gay male life, African American studies, and the black community. Original and astute, Why I Hate Abercrombie & Fitch is a powerful vision of a rapidly changing social landscape.

Praise for Impossible Witnesses:

A necessary and compelling work.

--Toni Morrison

McBride teases out complexity and depth heretofore overlooked. Don't miss this important text

--Cornel West

Ambitious and thought-provoking.

--The Journal of American History

This volume surveys the current state of the critical Legal Studies movement- a fifteen year old initiative whose proponents are committed to building a strong progrsseve community inside law schools and the legal profession. In his introduciton, Boyle argues that CLS has succeeded because it analyzes the inadequacies of rights talk, technocracy, and law and economics, and because it connects theory with the everyday experiences of lawyers and legal scholars. Articles present the CLS perspective on legal reasoning, legal hisory, substantive law, legal practice, and social theory.

Why hate Abercrombie? In a world rife with human cruelty and oppression, why waste your scorn on a popular clothing retailer? The rationale, Dwight A. McBride argues, lies in “the banality of evil,” or the quiet way discriminatory hiring practices and racist ad campaigns seep into and reflect malevolent undertones in American culture.

McBride maintains that issues of race and sexuality are often subtle and always messy, and his compelling new book does not offer simple answers. Instead, in a collection of essays about such diverse topics as biased marketing strategies, black gay media representations, the role of African American studies in higher education, gay personal ads, and pornography, he offers the evolving insights of one black gay male scholar.

As adept at analyzing affirmative action as dissecting Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, McBride employs a range of academic, journalistic, and autobiographical writing styles. Each chapter speaks a version of the truth about black gay male life, African American studies, and the black community. Original and astute, Why I Hate Abercrombie and Fitch is a powerful vision of a rapidly changing social landscape.

.php?cPath=&products_id=1762">James Baldwin Now (both available from NYU Press), as well as coeditor of Black Like Us: A Century of Lesbian, Gay, and Bi-Sexual African American Fiction.