Social Fact, Biological Fiction: The Deconstruction of Race in Toni Morrison’s Recitatif

Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0, University of Constance (Fachgruppe Literaturwissenschaft - British and American Studies), course: American Literature and Culture Part Two - Minority Literatures, language: English, abstract: This term paper examines how Morrison exposes the category of race to be mere biological fiction but still serves to structure people’s expectations towards eachother in everyday interactions. the main questions tackled in the term paper will be the following: What is the understanding of the term race as presented by Morrison in Recitatif ? What are the interrelations of race and gender with regard to Afro-American women? What are the social facts surrounding certain attributes of race ?