Marxism, racism and the construction of 'race' as a social and political relation: an interview with Professor Robert Miles

International audienceRobert Miles made a significant contribution to the field of racism and ethnic studies. In his early work, Miles drew upon structuralist Marxist theorizations of capitalism to offer a historically informed analysis of racism and migrant labour (Miles, 1982). This perspective placed political economy at the centre of the study of racism. In addition, Miles' critical discussions with other influential contemporaries such as Paul Gilroy and Stuart Hall (CCCS, 1982) raised crucial issues concerning the construction of 'race' as a social and political relation in Britain (Back and Solomos 2000). However, Miles became most renowned for his critique of the 'race relations' paradigm and his insistence that sociologists employ the concept 'racialization' rather than 'race' (1982, 1989; 1993). Overall, Miles' work was rich both in its theoretical clarity and historical depth, and his contributions warrant critical analysis today. The following interview was conducted in December 2009