Every theory has its pet names. What does Ethnic Studies think of literature, authors, and readers?
What is literature?
Literature is made up of texts that tell us about ethnic identity. A literary text can show us the same old tired stereotypes about ethnic groups, or it can throw these stereotypes out the window and show us a more complicated, authentic picture.
What is an author?
An author is a person who writes about ethnic identity. Every author writes about ethnic identity in his or her work, on some level. That's because every author writes from a particular ethnic perspective—black, white, Latino/a, etc.—because every author has a unique ethnic background that has shaped his or her experiences and perspectives.
What is a reader?
A reader is like an ethnic-identity detective, digging through a book to understand what assumptions it makes about ethnic identity. For example, a reader might ask how a given work does or doesn't challenge ethnic stereotypes.