White Privilege: The myth of a post-racial society

Why do racial inequalities persist, and in some cases deepen, in an era that claims to be ‘post-racial’?

Despite popular narratives of progress, Black and minority ethnic communities continue to face systemic disadvantage. In this fully revised and updated edition, Kalwant Bhopal uncovers how shifting social, political and economic landscapes in both the UK and US have not only failed to reduce racial discrimination but instead have intensified it.

From the backlash against #BlackLivesMatter to the rise of far-right governments denying the relevance of race altogether, this book dismantles the illusion of racial progress. Drawing on timely debates and grounded in empirical evidence, Bhopal reveals how race continues to shape access to power, opportunity and justice.

Urgent and unflinching, this is essential reading for anyone interested in exposing the myth of a post-racial society.

1127484746
White Privilege: The myth of a post-racial society

Why do racial inequalities persist, and in some cases deepen, in an era that claims to be ‘post-racial’?

Despite popular narratives of progress, Black and minority ethnic communities continue to face systemic disadvantage. In this fully revised and updated edition, Kalwant Bhopal uncovers how shifting social, political and economic landscapes in both the UK and US have not only failed to reduce racial discrimination but instead have intensified it.

From the backlash against #BlackLivesMatter to the rise of far-right governments denying the relevance of race altogether, this book dismantles the illusion of racial progress. Drawing on timely debates and grounded in empirical evidence, Bhopal reveals how race continues to shape access to power, opportunity and justice.

Urgent and unflinching, this is essential reading for anyone interested in exposing the myth of a post-racial society.

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White Privilege: The myth of a post-racial society

White Privilege: The myth of a post-racial society

by Kalwant Bhopal
White Privilege: The myth of a post-racial society

White Privilege: The myth of a post-racial society

by Kalwant Bhopal

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Overview

Why do racial inequalities persist, and in some cases deepen, in an era that claims to be ‘post-racial’?

Despite popular narratives of progress, Black and minority ethnic communities continue to face systemic disadvantage. In this fully revised and updated edition, Kalwant Bhopal uncovers how shifting social, political and economic landscapes in both the UK and US have not only failed to reduce racial discrimination but instead have intensified it.

From the backlash against #BlackLivesMatter to the rise of far-right governments denying the relevance of race altogether, this book dismantles the illusion of racial progress. Drawing on timely debates and grounded in empirical evidence, Bhopal reveals how race continues to shape access to power, opportunity and justice.

Urgent and unflinching, this is essential reading for anyone interested in exposing the myth of a post-racial society.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781447372059
Publisher: Policy Press
Publication date: 09/30/2025
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 272

About the Author

Kalwant Bhopal is Professor of Education and Social Justice and Director of the Centre for Research on Race and Education at the University of Birmingham. From 2019-20 she was visiting Professor at Harvard University at the Graduate School of Education and is currently visiting Professor at King's College London. Her areas of interest and expertise focus on the educational experiences of black and minority ethnic groups as well as Gypsies and Travellers. Her research specifically explores how processes of racism, exclusion and marginalisation operate in predominantly white spaces with a focus on social justice and inclusion.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Kehinde Andrews

1. Introduction: Structural, institutional and societal racism

2. What is white privilege?

3. Not white enough

4. Intersectionality: gender, race and class

5. Race, schooling and exclusion

6. Higher education, race and representation

7. Racial inequalities in the labour market

8. Wealth, poverty and inequality

9. Racialised housing

10. Pandemic inequalities

11. Conclusion: Race, social justice and equality

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"White Privilege brilliantly dismantles the myth of a post-racial society. It is a 'must-read' for all those concerned about inequalities of race in society." Diane Reay, University of Cambridge

"Many of the critical analyses of neoliberalism in education have neglected the ways in which neoliberalism as a theory and as a set of policies and practices is deeply connected to racialisation. In White Privilege, Kalwant Bhopal provides us with a clear and powerful analysis of these connections and of why they are so crucial to understand." Michael W. Apple, John Bascom Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison

"A lucid straightforward illumination of whiteness and white privilege, as it is currently acted-out in school and society, despite social justice policies. It puts before readers the pervasiveness and meanness of white privilege in education/schooling and society in this neoliberal, non-post-racial era. Timely and deserving of urgent attention." Carl A. Grant, Hoefs Bascom Professor UniversityWisconsin-Madison and author of Du Bois and Education.

"More than ever, the study of whiteness proves indispensable. Kalwant Bhopal is a voice of reason in a cacophony of fervor. She takes to task the presumptions of post-raciality and defies its pretenders. We will be post-racial in a condition of post-racism. Until then, evidence and ethics are on her side." Zeus Leonardo, University of California, Berkeley, Author of Race Frameworks: A Multidimensional Theory of Racism and Education

"A valuable insight into the complexities and subtleties of modern day racism, the intersection of race and class and the unfinished battle to transcend white hegemony." Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner

"In this wide-ranging book Bhopal addresses racial inequality in Britain and the United States. She demonstrates how racial inequality is pervasive in British society across sectors, especially education and the labor market, an important perspective for scholars. A great introduction to issues of racial inequality." Natasha Kumar Warikoo, Harvard University, Graduate School of Education.

"Offers a crucial and timely focus on the perpetuation of white privilege in a society that claims to be post-racial, and the continuing disadvantages experienced by black and minority ethnic groups... provides a wealth of data on social, educational and economic inequalities in both the UK and USA where white supremacist hate is increasing. It should be read by policy makers, practitioners and the public to help them realise how white privilege works and disadvantage is perpetuated" Sally Tomlinson, University of Oxford

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