Sylvia Wynter talks about her work on race and class in a project called “Uncle Tom Revisited: A Study of Blacks as Stereotypical Characters in Western Literature.” She speaks about the formation of white identity as a by-product of colonialism, and the shifting ideas about whiteness and blackness over the last few hundred years. She cites the ideas of Michel Foucault as the basis for her reflections on cultural symbols, and comments on racism in academia.
At the time of this interview, Wynter, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center (1980-81), was head of the African and Afro-American studies program at Stanford University.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
