Silent Racism: How Well-Meaning White People Perpetuate the Racial Divide / Edition 2

by Barbara Trepagnier

Overview

Vivid and engaging, Silent Racism persuasively demonstrates that silent racism—racism by people who classify themselves as “not racist”—is instrumental in the production of institutional racism. Trepagnier argues that heightened race awareness is more important in changing racial inequality than judging whether individuals are racist. The collective voices and confessions of “nonracist” white women heard in this book help reveal that all individuals harbor some racist thoughts and feelings. Trepagnier uses vivid focus group interviews to argue that the oppositional categories of racist/not racist are outdated. The oppositional categories should be replaced in contemporary thought with a continuum model that more accurately portrays today’s racial reality in the United States. A shift to a continuum model can raise the race awareness of well-meaning white people and improve race relations. Offering a fresh approach, Silent Racism is an essential resource for teaching and thinking about racism in the twenty-first century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781594518287
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/30/2010
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	220
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Barbara Trepagnier is Professor of Sociology at Texas State University- San Marcos where she teaches social theory and social psychology.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Preface to the Original Edition xi

Preface to the Second Edition xiii

1 Rethinking Racism 1

Definitions of Racism 3

Silent Racism 5

Implementing the Study 7

Conclusion 10

Notes 12

2 Silent Racism 15

Social Psychological Race Theories 16

Sociological Race Theories 19

The Study of Silent Racism 22

Conclusion 42

Notes 44

3 Passivity in Well-Meaning White People 47

Passivity 47

One More Unintended Consequence 59

Conclusion 61

Note 62

4 The Production of Institutional Racism 63

Institutional Racism 64

The Production of Institutional Racism 70

Symbolic Interaction and Everyday Racism 77

Passivity and the Production of Institutional Racism 79

Conclusion 82

Notes 84

5 Race Awareness Matters 85

The Race Awareness Continuum 86

Why Race Awareness Matters 98

Conclusion 101

Notes 102

6 Antiracist Practice 103

Practice and Social Change 103

Antiracism: What It Is and Why It Matters 104

A Model Antiracism Workshop 119

Conclusion 126

Notes 128

7 Silent Racism at Work 129

Racial Disproportionality and Children 130

The Texas Model: A Case Study 134

Reducing Racial Disproportionality 136

Data-Driven Planning 138

Legislative Support 140

Cultural Competency Training 140

Collaborative Partnerships 145

Disproportionality Prevention Policies 149

The Texas Model 151

Notes 152

8 Epilogue 153

Doing the Right Thing 158

Notes 158

Appendix A Methodological Concerns 159

Appendix B Biographies of the Participants 171

Appendix C Participants' Race Awareness 177

Appendix D Antiracism Resources 179

References 183

Index 199

About the Author 205