What is Racism? Racial Discourse and Racial Politics

One central area of dispute in current racial politics is whether an act, policy, or event constitutes racism. I contend that the core of these debates involves competing conceptions of racism. Using text from a variety of media sources, I examine the different ways in which racism is defined and how claims and counterclaims are contextualized. I also explore how the dynamic nature of racial discourse leads to the emergence of new ways of defining racism as advocates seek advantages in political debate. Finally, I connect the struggle involving racism as a contested concept to two larger racial ideologies: color-blindness and systemic racism. Key words: racism; racial discourse; color-blind racism, systemic racism; racial politics. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, racial oppression remains a substantial barrier to the exercise of citizenship rights and the pursuit of social justice in the United States. Contemporary American society can be described as a “racialized social system ” (Bonilla-Silva 1997), in which social institutions and social hierarchies are profoundly influenced b