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Women's Studies GFE Brownbag Chandiren Valayden, "Neoliberal Racisms And The Risk Of "Irresponsible Biographies""

This presentation argues that the relationship between race and risk has been radically transformed under neoliberalism. This relationship is usually theorized in terms of the modernist concept of ‘spreading risk,’ whereby it is argued that risk is differentially distributed on the basis on race. Such unequal distribution is conceptualized as both the effect and cause of racism. However, the re-organization of ‘the social’ under neoliberalism has shifted the approach to the individual embrace of risk. ‘Embracing risk’ denotes the new approach to risk which consists not only of conceiving social, organizational and institutional problems in terms of risk but also to make people individually accountable for risk. I argue that the relationship between risk and race must be rethought. As risk is individualized, can the concept of race (as identity within a representational framework) continue to serve as an explanatory category of social relations? I propose to conceptualize race as irresponsible biographies to analyze contemporary expressions, justifications and rationalities of racisms.