Whiteness and Allyship in Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely’s All American Boys
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This paper examines whiteness in Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely’s All American Boys through the framework of Critical Whiteness Studies and allyship theory. Recent studies have emphasized the need for white people to transcend performative actions to engage with structural dimensions of racism. Yet, the number of literary analyses focusing on white characters regarding this transition is limited. This study addresses this gap by centering on Quinn Collins, a white adolescent in All American Boys, who witnesses police brutality and undergoes a moral transformation. The study offers a character-based analysis of allyship in order to trace Quinn’s journey from complicity to symbolic dissent. While Quinn begins to question his inherited forms of belonging, his moral rupture is largely driven by emotions and lacks the structural engagement that allyship requires. Accordingly, All American Boys presents a potent yet incomplete representation of allyship. Yet, this study interprets this limitation as a pedagogical strategy that encourages readers to identify the gap between moral awareness and structural action in their own contexts.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Critical Whiteness Studies, Allyship, Black Lives Matter, All American Boys, young adult fiction
Kaynakça
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