Replacing the Gatekeepers

I find Richard Ohmann's idea of gatekeeper intellectuals fascinating, especially in the context of multiculturalism. Ohmann believes that these gatekeeper intellectuals determine which works of fiction amass a broad readership and receive critical acclaim. Essentially, they create the classics by approving of works that reflect the cultural ideologies of the day.

But what happens when gatekeeper intellectuals become more open-minded, when they allow the creation of classics that do not reflect the lifestyles of America's supposedly homogeneous readership? I consider works such as Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Devil on the Cross, which concerns itself with issues of neocolonialism in Kenya. This work appears to break down the ideologies that support social and economic hierarchies, but yet it has achieved critical acclaim and substantial readership on American university campuses. Perhaps it has not acquired the status of "classic literature" yet, but inclusion within the canon is not out of the question. When narratives supporting the plight of the socially and economically oppressed do enter into the canon, have these so-called gatekeepers fallen asleep?

Perhaps the inclusion of works that celebrate Marxism and multiculturalism-- which break down the conservative cultural establishment-- signals a shift in the hierarchy, not necessarily its abolition. This hierarchy has re-assigned values, giving some new ideas dominance over others.