...full text also available at Inside CSUF [1]
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In this op ed for "Truthdig" I analyze the culture wars that became visible during Sotomayor’s confirmation hearing despite our national post-racial and post-feminist ethos. I raise three issues that allowed Sotomayor’s standpoint both answers her critics and raises new questions: recognition, status, and communication. Ultimately, I argue that the hearings and votes have been anything but post- racial or post-feminist. Rather, they have been an exercise in reciprocal communication based on racial and gendered identification. We have watched how those with similar standpoints adopt similar communication styles and how those with differing standpoints adopt differing styles. And, perhaps more importantly, we have watched what happens when different standpoints and communication styles meet.
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