Ferguson's Identity Politics with The Color Purple

"The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men". Alice Walker's quotation seems to express her concerns on discourses like racism, gender and sexism. Walker continues to examine and critiques these discourses through her novel The Color Purple. In comparison, How does Roderick Ferguson's critique of the theorization of identity and the discourses of queer women of color related to Alice Walker's "The Color Purple"?

How does Ferguson and Walker reflect these discourses of queer people of color to real life situations? Alice Walker's "The Color Purple" explores and exposes the different obstacles of queer women of color from sexual abuse by family, to physical abuse by husbands, to the relationship of matriarchy and patriarchy, to sexual orientation, and to sex and race relations. These concepts of queer, race, gender, and sexual orientation revolve around the creation of a person's self. In this paper, it will be argued that Alice Walkers "The Color Purple" is significantly related to Roderick Ferguson's notions of the theory of identity and his critiques of queer people of color.

The Moynihan Report created by Daniel Patrick Moynihan from Ferguson's critique gives a notion that to further the civil rights movement the family structure of African Americans should be based on patriarchy and that a woman being head of the household only sets it back. "As a familial formation that "retards progress" because of its non-heternormative conformity, the female-headed household impedes the march of civil rights" (Ferguson pg 123).

In his critique, Ferguson tries to expose these myths of matriarchy established by the Moynihan report. Ferguson states, "As the discourse of black matriarchy presented black mothers as unscrupulous and "incompetent," it also justified practices of surveillance in which "welfare detectives" would apparently wake up black women and their children to look through dirty clothes hampers and refrigerators in search of black men" (Ferguson pg. 115). Ferguson's critique seems to reveal that African American men like Moynihan believe that feminization and homosexuality were attributes that evolved around a matriarchy and that to thrive with equal rights a patriarchy norm should be established.

However, Alice walker's fiction "The color purple" can advocate notions on matriarchy, and the affects of patriarchy relating to racism and sexism. Walker's online biography states that, "Walker's writings focus on the struggles of African Americans, and particularly against societies that are racist, sexist, and often violent" (Wikipedia). The color purple produces the affects of patriarchy on an African American's family structure. In contrast, to the notions of the Moynihan Report, Walker seems to illustrate through the characters in her novel that the affects of racism and harm imposed on the black community can destroy themselves by abusing their own women. The following quotation is an example of the sexism that many African American women can experience living in a patriarchal family. "Harpo ast his daddy why he beat me.

Mr.____ say, Cause she my wife" (Walker pg. 23). This quotation spoken from the character Albert to the protagonist character Celie displays how women can be viewed as a possession and as a secondary human being. Celie who is the main character in Walker's novel experiences many years of emotional and physical abuse by men in her life who enforce their dominance on her. However, Celie also experiences the effects of matriarchy through the sexuality, love and solidarity she experiences with women.

Walker through her novel also pin points similar notions with Ferguson's identity theory relating to queer people of color. "In other words, lesbian of color feminism contributed to the theorization of identity by arguing that if identity is posed, it must be constantly contravened to address the variety of social contradictions that nationalism strives to conceal" (Ferguson 127). Ferguson discusses how identity politics in fiction novels are used differently to make a statement. Ferguson's critique of the novel Sula brings out this theorization.

Barbara Smith in Ferguson's critique states, "She defines "lesbian" not in terms of identity, but in terms of a set of critiques of heterosexuality and patriarchy. Rather than naming an identity, "Lesbian" actually identifies as a set of social relations that point to the instability of heteropatriarchy and to a possible critical emergence within that instability" (Ferguson 127). Walker displays identity politics in her novel with the protagonist Celie and her relationships. Despite that Celie's character does fall in love with a woman, Alice Walker like Toni Morrison doesn't actually write that Celie is a lesbian but instead uses her writing to display her critiques on matriarchy and the empowerment of African American women's solidarity. Throughout walker's novel Celie makes many relationships with different kinds of women that help her not only survive, but also emancipate herself from the affects of a patriarchal structure.

In the novel Celie is separated from her sister Nettie for many years, but her bond with her sister as children last with her throughout her life experiencing abuse by men. At the end of the novel she is reunited with Nettie. This union seems to represent what happens to women after overcoming the barriers of abuse, and control from men. Celie also forms a relationship with a woman named Sofia. Sofia is married to Celie's Husband's son. Sofia's character is opposite of Celie's. Celie is used to patriarchy and is imprisoned by it. Nevertheless, when Celie meets Sofia's character she sees that women can fight back. Sofia's character is influenced by matriarchy. "All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my brothers. I had to fight my cousins and my uncles. A girl child ain't safe in a family of men" (Walker Pg 42). Walker tries to constitute ideals opposing heteronormitivity similar to that of Morrison in Ferguson's critique. "Sula allegorized not only the conditions of black women's gender and sexual regulation, but also a desire to formulate identities and social practices that could withstand and provide alternatives to those limitations" (Ferguson 132).

The kind of alternatives that Walker offers in her novel in contrast to the patriarchal beliefs in the Moynihan report of Ferguson's critique include the development of feminist ideals, and that of over coming racial barriers. The character Sofia in the middle of the novel experiences the affects of racism when she is punished for assaulting a white man for defending herself for refusing to be the man's wife's maid. "She say to Sofia, All your children so clean, she say would you like to work for me, be my maid? Sofia say, I say, Hell no" (Walker Pg 90). Here Walker brings the race issues that also coincide with the abuse that African American Women experience. This example however shows a woman who is represented as a matriarchal figure and then experiences the effects of a patriarchal racist society. Walker's character Sofia at the end of the novel overcomes these discourses and comes back to her home and again gains control of her household.

Walker also gives more insight about the truth of matriarchy and people of queer color with Celie. Celie's character transforms throughout the novel. In the beginning she is trapped by the domination of masculinity but then with the inspiration from the character Shug she develops into a woman that is independent and strong. Shug is the woman who Celie develops feelings and love for. Shug's character is also similar to Sofia's. Shug's character defies the normative view of a women's role. In essence her character could be labeled queer. This label of queer doesn't associate with her sexual orientation but instead it is her defiance to society's views of gender, and sexual roles. In the novel Shug is a famous singer who travels to different towns. She isn't devoted to one man and gets romantically involved with whoever she wants. She also isn't controlled by any man but controls her own life.

In conclusion, these identity politics critiqued both by Ferguson and Walker show the reality of these courses shown in history. Both Ferguson and Walker point out the oppression of not only African American people, but specifically women and queer people of color. These two authors acknowledge that racial relations are intertwined with gender discrimination and homophobia. The Reader for race and ethnicity can show some historical insight to these discourses. "This examination of the "woman's place" cause these women to compare it with the "Negro's Place" imposed on black people by white society. In essence these women had developed a feminist consciousness which enabled them to criticize gender domination and to devise strategies to combat it" (O'Connell Pg 330). This quotation definitely reflects Walker's novel The Color Purple in context with Ferguson's critiques. Both authors expose the truth about the myth of matriarchy through there writings. Ferguson reveals two opposing views on matriarchy through his critique on the Moynihan Report and the Novel Sula. Coinciding, Ferguson's views on identity politics and theory, Walker's novel can give further insight on the myth of matriarchy through a fictional view.