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RACIAL PROPOSITIONS: “GENTEEL APARTHEID”
IN POSTWAR CALIFORNIA
by
Daniel Wei HoSang
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
(AMERICAN STUDIES AND ETHNICITY)
August 2007
Copyright 2007 Daniel Wei HoSang
Object Description
| Title | Racial propositions: genteel apartheid in postwar California |
| Author | HoSang, Daniel Wei |
| Author email | hosang@usc.edu |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | American Studies & Ethnicity |
| School | College of Letters, Arts and Sciences |
| Date defended/completed | 2007 |
| Date submitted | 2007 |
| Restricted until | Restricted until 23 July 2009. |
| Date published | 2009-07-23 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Pulido, Laura |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Gilmore, Ruth Wilson Sanchez, George J. Deverell, William F. Wong, Janelle S. |
| Abstract | This study examines the role of California ballot measures in the production of racial identity and power in the post-World War II era. In the 1990s, a series of controversial propositions renewed debate over the meaning of race and racism in public life. As the nation looked on, California voters passed ballot initiatives banning public services for undocumented immigrants, repealing public affirmative action programs, outlawing bilingual education, and toughening criminal sentencing laws for juveniles and adults.; Little focus has been placed on the historic soils that nourished these conflicts. Indeed, across the postwar era, California's system of direct democracy has proved to be a reliable bulwark against many leading civil rights and anti-discrimination issues: California voters rejected fair employment protections (1946), repealed fair housing legislation (1964), overturned school desegregation plans (1972, 1979), and adopted "English only" policies (1984, 1986).; The fervent discussions over these measures as they unfolded within the media, at public debates, neighborhood meetings, and through campaign advertisements has made them a central site for Californians to deliberate the meaning of race, rights, and authority. Over time, these debates played a significant role in allowing voters to disavow persistent patterns of racial hierarchy even as they declared their commitment to equal rights and opportunity. Ultimately, this project traces the origins and development of the current "colorblind consensus" on race, which casts racism as a personal sentiment rather than a collective or structural phenomenon, a feeling rather than a relation of power.; This is the first study to link together case studies of racialized California ballot initiatives during the last 50 years within a singular historical narrative. I examine the conflicts and relations of power which gave rise to these initiatives, profile the significant political actors involved, examine the discourse generated by the initiative debates, and explore the impact the measures had on the broader political culture of the state. I analyze polling data, election returns, newspaper accounts and a broad range of archival materials and oral histories related to these events. |
| Keyword | race; racism; California; ballot initiatives; civil rights |
| Geographic subject (state) | California |
| Geographic subject (country) | USA |
| Coverage date | 1946/2006 |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m644 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | HoSang, Daniel Wei |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-HoSang-20070723 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume23/etd-HoSang-20070723.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 1 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | RACIAL PROPOSITIONS: “GENTEEL APARTHEID” IN POSTWAR CALIFORNIA by Daniel Wei HoSang A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (AMERICAN STUDIES AND ETHNICITY) August 2007 Copyright 2007 Daniel Wei HoSang |
