THE CRIME WITHOUT A NAME

A Black writer argues that the American inability to face the nation’s racist past is directly related to a lack of vocabulary to describe the violence of White supremacy.

Pitner, the founder of the Sustainable Culture Lab, begins his cogent analysis by introducing the word ethnocide, a term created by Polish Jewish refugee Raphael Lemkin, who immigrated to the U.S. to escape the horrors of World War II. Unlike genocide, which Lemkin also coined, ethnocide describes the practice of erasing “a people’s culture while keeping the people,” a term the author says perfectly describes American slavery. Pitner argues that naming this violence not only gives us the tools to properly digest the atrocities wrought upon Black bodies throughout history, but also to face what must be done to repair American society. To complement the concept of ethnocide, the author presents a few other terms that may be unfamiliar to readers, including polderen, a Dutch word that “articulates the importance of equality and an attachment to place when forging culture,” and poshlyi, a Russian word for vulgarity, which Pitner uses to articulate the damage wrought by Donald Trump and his administration. The author ends the book by discussing naissance and ethnogenesis, both of which he uses to describe the generation of new, more equitable cultural practices that he hopes can redefine the U.S. At its best, this heavily researched book shimmers with creativity and intelligence, expertly balancing realism, optimism, and honesty. At times, though, it can be difficult to keep track of the barrage of terminology, especially since a new word is introduced almost every chapter. Additionally, Pitner draws almost exclusively from White, male, European philosophers; one of the few exceptions is Gandhi, whose problematic attitudes regarding race make him a curious choice for a book that celebrates Black resilience.

A mostly well-argued, deeply felt treatise on the links among language, racism, and redemption.