On the 'Pleasure of Hating': An introduction to the idea of racism as 'enjoyment'

Historically, we are accustomed to thinking of racism as the outcome of ignorance or intolerance. Most approaches miss a central feature of everyday racism, namely that it hinges on a type of passionate intensity. This talk introduces the notion that racism entails a type of 'enjoyment' (or libidinal arousal) which is present both in the 'pleasure of hating' and in attributions of others as possessed of a toxic, excessive enjoyment (by virtue of "their" music, food, religion, etc.). A systematic exploration of a core set of ideas (racist enjoyment as involving a dialectic of possession, a relation of enjoyment resentment that comes before the arrival of the racial other, the notion of libidinal treasures, the moral dimension of racism) suggests that they might be more workable, indeed, essential, to how we think about and act upon racism today.