Charlottesville and Our Racial Fault Lines: Symbolic Victories or Structural Changes
Charlottesville and Our Racial Fault Lines: Symbolic Victories or Structural Changes Rodney D. Coates Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) August 25, 2017 Rodney D. Coates, Professor Department of Global and Intercultural Studies Miami University Recent events in Charlottesville once again remind us of our torturous racial history. Therefore it is rather strange that many were shocked with the level of hostility associated with the removal of this symbol. Perhaps if we utilized a sociological imagination (Mills 1959) we might better evaluate this current moment. Utilizing this imagination, I would argue that removal of these symbols, while important, are not sufficient to significantly alter the racial narrative and racial outcomes. If we look at recent events, not only these symbolic battles but those occurring in the political domain suggests that symbolic victories do little to change the racial realities so many face in our country. So let us first look at some of these symbolic vic...