White Literary Taste Production in Contemporary Book Culture

This Element argues that contemporary book culture is structured by practice that operates according to a White taste logic.

Alexandra Dane (Author)

9781009234245, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 23 February 2023

75 pages
17.8 x 12.7 x 0.5 cm, 0.092 kg

Despite initiatives to 'diversify' the publishing sector, there has been almost no transformation to the historic racial inequality that defines the field. This Element argues that contemporary book culture is structured by practice that operates according to a White taste logic. By applying the notion of this logic to an analysis of both traditional and new media tastemaking practices, White Literary Taste Production in Contemporary Book Culture examines the influence of Whiteness on the cultural practice, and how the long-standing racial inequities that characterize Anglophone book publishing are supported by systems, institutions and platforms. These themes will be explored through two distinct but interrelated case studies-women's literary prizes and anti-racist reading lists on Instagram-which demonstrate the dominance of Whiteness, and in particular White feminism, in the contemporary literary discourse.

1. The Logic of White Literary Taste
2. Legitimacy, Value and Power
3. White Feminist Solipsism and Women's Literary Awards
4. The Transformative Limits of the Anti-Racist Reading List
5. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: general [DSB]