Colorblind Racism

How can colorblindness – the idea that race does not matter – be racist? This illuminating book introduces the paradox of colorblind racism: how dismissing or downplaying the realities of race and racism can perpetuate inequality and violence. 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.

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