Reading of Racial Profiling in Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things

Ahmed Sabah Mohammed; Mohamad Fleih  Hassan

doi:10.35516/hum.v50i6.7045

Authors

Ahmed Sabah Mohammed English Department, College of Education for Humanities, University of Anbar, Ramadi, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6496-3266
Mohamad Fleih Hassan English Department, College of Arts, University of Anbar, Ramadi, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6637-7164

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35516/hum.v50i6.7045

Keywords:

Racial profiling, CRT, small great things, Jodi Picoult

Abstract

Objectives: This study highlights the notion that racism occurs when people with personal or institutional power use their privilege in defining others based on their skin color or race. Racial profiling, an extension to systemic racism, is any act of stereotyping exercised against people of different race or color. Past studies approached racial profiling in the fields of police inspections only. However, racial profiling in Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things is not studied yet. The study investigates racial profiling against major characters in Picoult's novel.

Methods: The study employs Delgado and Stefancic’s Critical Race Theory (2017). The CRT’s tenets of ‘Racism is Common, not Aberrational’, ‘Race is Socially Constructed’ and ‘Unique Voice of Color’ are the methodological tools used in the novel analysis.

Results: Through the study of racial profiling exercized against “Ruth” in light of Critical Race Theory, this study introduces different acts of racial profiling faced by Ruth in various places besides the police inspections due to Ruth’s African roots. With the help of ‘Unique Voice of Color’, Ruth has created her own anti-discourse to racial profiling and proved the falsification of these stereotypical images.

Conclusions: With the help of CRT’s tenets, the study concludes that racial profiling is not solely exercised in the police inspections, but exercised in all aspects in the life of people of color. It also concludes that white citizens do not accept people of color as equal partners in America because of the stereotypical images that trigger racial profiling everywhere againts them.

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