How racist are Dr. Seuss’ children’s books?
How racist are Dr. Seuss’ children’s books?
A new study deepens the debate over racism in Dr. Seuss books.
Because Seuss (pen name of Theodor Geisel) continues to be very popular, many people may not be aware of some of the recent concerns raised about his children’s books. (And this isn’t counting Geisel’s blatantly racist and anti-Semitic cartoons in Dartmouth’s humor magazine in the 1920s.)
Two researchers write this month that they looked at more than 2,200 human characters in 50 of Seuss’ children’s books. Of those characters, just 45 are characters of color.
In the journal Research on Diversity in Youth Literature, Katie Ishizuka and Ramón Stephens write that they found “Orientalism, Anti-Blackness, and White Supremacy” in the Seuss books.
Because Seuss (pen name of Theodor Geisel) continues to be very popular, many people may not be aware of some of the recent concerns raised about his children’s books. (And this isn’t counting Geisel’s blatantly racist and anti-Semitic cartoons in Dartmouth’s humor magazine in the 1920s.) Two researchers write this month that they looked at more than 2,200 human characters in 50 of Seuss’ children’s books. Of those characters, just 45 are characters of color. In the journal Research on Diversity in Youth Literature, Katie Ishizuka and Ramón Stephens write that they found “Orientalism, Anti-Blackness, and White Supremacy” in the Seuss books. Because Seuss (pen name of Theodor Geisel) continues to be very popular, many people may not be aware of some of the recent concerns raised about his children’s books. (And this isn’t counting Geisel’s blatantly racist and anti-Semitic cartoons in Dartmouth’s humor magazine in the 1920s.) Two researchers write this month that they looked at more than 2,200 human characters in 50 of Seuss’ children’s books. Of those characters, just 45 are characters of color. In the journal Research on Diversity in Youth Literature, Katie Ishizuka and Ramón Stephens write that they found “Orientalism, Anti-Blackness, and White Supremacy” in the Seuss books.