White Antiracist Rhetoric as Apologia: Wendell Berry's The Hidden Wound

Abstract

Draws on Berry's autobiographical The Hidden Wound (1989 [1970]), lauded as an outstanding example of antiracist literature, to explore how his use of the "apologia genre," or self-defense discourse, upholds white privilege while patently condemning racism. Berry's work is exceptional for its exploration of how white rhetoric conceals the self-inflicted "wound" that racism has inflicted on white moral integrity from white collective consciousness. In addition, he critically examines his own background to expose the role that whites have played in perpetuating racism. Nonetheless, it is argued that his efforts to defend himself & his KY slave-owning ancestors conceal the racist results of white privilege. Numerous excerpts illustrate how the use of apologia prevents recognition of white complicity in reproducing racist relations. Suggestions are made of how to encourage a more ethical white antiracist rhetoric. 23 References. J. Lindroth