words

[alanjjohnstone]

This is the second time within a week i have come across the term "racialized"

Police Violence in Toronto’s Jane and Finch Community

I'm not very comfortable with the word since it makes me first think of prejudicial labeling rather than a neutral description. Nor does the context of the usage doesn't appear to coincide with the dictionary definitions. 

[Darren redstar]

 a reference to a situation becoming rracialized; ie being divided along racial lines. Would make some sense. ( though I would be uncomfortable with it), but that makes no sense whatsoever.

[alanjjohnstone]

That is how i instinctively read the word to mean. Certainly not that a region or district populated by any particular colour  is a  racialized community. It gives the undertone that somehow its a  voluntary state.   

[SocialistPunk]

Pulled this off Wikipedia

Wikipedia wrote:

In sociology, racialization or ethnicization is the processes of ascribing ethnic or racial identities to a relationship, social practice, or group that did not identify itself as such.[1] Racialization and ethnicization is often born out of the interaction of a group with a group that it dominates and ascribes identity for the purpose of continued domination. While it is often born out of domination, the racialized and ethnicized group often gradually identifies with and even embraces the ascribed identity and thus becomes a self-ascribed race or ethnicity. These processes have been common across the history of imperialism, nationalism, and racial and ethnic hierarchies.

The question is, does this identity come from the author of the article or is it something they are drawing attention to? The following quote further into the article suggests to me that the author attributes the process of racialization to the  authorities.

Quote:

There are legitimate concerns in the Afrikan community and among police accountability advocates about racist policing in racialized working-class communities. After years of denial by former police chiefs and police union bosses as well as elected and appointed officials, racial profiling of Afrikans by the cops in Toronto is now a well-documented fact.

[Author]

Posts