Seeing Race in Modern America

“In this provocative explication of the cultural 'sightlines' that train the eye to scout and discover racial distinctions, Guterl urges us to see our own seeing anew. Varied and resourceful in its archive, impressive in its historical sweep, often brilliant in its close observations, and at once intellectually playful and morally sober, Seeing Race in Modern America will grip lifelong specialists as surely as it will readers who have never paused to consider these questions. An essential contribution.” — Matthew Frye Jacobson, author of Whiteness of a Different Color: European Immigrants and the Alchemy of Race

“Matthew Pratt Guterl’s Seeing Race in Modern America is essential reading for understanding how Americans have historically viewed race and how that history manifests itself today. Guterl masterfully blends the past with contemporary culture to reveal how Americans are changing, as well as not changing, how we talk about and perceive — and do not talk about and claim not to perceive — the role of race in modern American society.” — W. Ralph Eubanks, author of The House at the End of the Road: The Story of Three Generations of an Interracial Family in the American South

“Illustrates how race continues to operate as subtext in the world of ideas, coloring our expectations and, more important, our personal and political decisions.” — Chronicle of Higher Education

“This rigorous and insightful book provides a careful investigation on an often overlooked topic.” — Publishers Weekly

“[A] splendid treatment of racialized imagery in popular culture. . . . Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.” — CHOICE

“Seeing Race is primarily a modern exposé of race in popular culture.” — North Carolina Historical Review

“The book’s greatest strength: its ability to open up discussion and enliven rather than limit debate.” — Journal of American History

“An engaging read. . . . A general audience would appreciate this engaging and topical book, while U.S. Historians will appreciate Guterl’s take on how race is depicted in popular culture.” — Journal of Southern History

“Open[s] up questions that will no doubt shape future inquiry in the field of race and visual culture studies for years to come.” — American Literary History Online Review

“Guterl’s evidence throughout is compelling, his writing and analysis is crisp and clear, and his visual examples are powerful — if not stunning.” — American Quarterly