Drawing on a range of theoretical approaches and real-life examples, Meghan Burke reveals colorblind racism to be an insidious presence in many areas of institutional and everyday life in the United States. She explains what is meant by colorblind racism, uncovers its role in the history of racial discrimination, and explores its effects on how we talk about and treat race today. The book also engages with recent critiques of colorblind racism to show the limitations of this framework and how a deeper, more careful study of colorblindness is needed to understand the persistence of racism and how it may be challenged.
This accessible book will be an invaluable overview of a key phenomenon for students across the social sciences, and its far-reaching insights will appeal to all interested in the social life of race and racism.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
Definition and Core Features
Early Studies of the “New” Racism
Bonilla-Silva’s “Racism Without Racists”
Methods of Study
The Rise and Fall of “Post-racial” Politics: Race and Contemporary Politics
The Urgency of New Frontiers
Chapter 2: Colorblindness in Historical Context
The Evolution of US Racism
Study of Racism in the Social Sciences
Colorblindness and Growing Racial Inequality
Chapter 3: Colorblindness in Divergent Contexts
Colorblindness in Institutions
Colorblindness in Law and Policy
Colorblindness in Culture
Taking Stock of What We Know
Chapter 4: Contested Colorblindness
Variations Around and Across the Color Line
Variations in Social Contexts
Backstage Racism, Racial Codes, and Overt Expressions
New Questions about the New Racism
Chapter 5: New Directions
Colorblind Variations, Identities, and Continuums
The White Elephant in the Room
Challenging Contemporary Racism
