Race, gender, class, equality and justice: symbolic and ideologic representations of Paul Haggis' film Crash

Abstract

This study examines the film Crash, by Paul Haggis, from the perspective of race relations studies. It analyzes the symbolic and ideological content of the metalanguage of Crash (the way the story is told) rather than the openly racist language of the film’s characters (the explicit content of the story that is told). Through a very accurate comparison of the fictional and discursive framework of the film with historical and contemporary analytical contexts in the fi eld of race relations (and their relationship with issues of gender, class,equality and justice), the essay shows how a surreptitious racist ideology is allowed to permeate Crash (particularly in the form of the stereotyped and stigmatizing moral shape given to the black characters compared with the white ones) under the protective mantle of a film that apparently aims to fi ght racism. This essay argues that Crash is a typical example, both in terms of fi ction and reality, of whatit calls “racist anti-racism”. In the end, the essay points out the need for social and ethical responsibility in the entertainment industry and their compatibility with freedom for artistic creativity.