A new book by JWAM professor Louis M. Maraj, The Benevolent Gaslight: A Technology of Race-Making, is now available for pre-order, ahead of its publication in June.
Co-authored with Pritha Prasad of the University of Kansas, the book explores how racial violence is disguised and repackaged under the guise of good intentions.
Published by Utah State University Press, the book builds on an essay by Prasad and Maraj that won the College Composition and Communication (CCCC)’s 2023 Richard Braddock Award.
The article introduced the concept of “benevolent gaslighting.” The authors use the term to describe how acts of racial dominance are reframed as teachable moments or opportunities for growth, effectively denying the harm experienced by racially marginalized people.
In The Benevolent Gaslight, Profs. Maraj and Prasad explore its application across academic epistemologies, educational history, and university race management. They also dive into how popular culture and political figures use benevolent gaslighting to reinscribe normative operations of race, gender, and sexuality.
This book reveals the insidious ways in which peoples of colour are routinely (re)traumatized through mechanisms of “pedagogy.”
The Benevolent Gaslight is now available to pre-order from the University Press of Colorado (use promo code MAPR26 to get 40% off). It is also available to pre-order from UBC Press.
