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"I am not a racist but . . .": Mapping White college students' racial ideology in the USA

Publication ,  Journal Article
Bonilla-Silva, E; Forman, TA
Published in: Discourse and Society
January 1, 2000

Survey-based research on Whites' racial attitudes in the USA has characterized their views as either 'tolerant' or 'ambivalent'. We argue that surveys on racial attitudes have systematically underestimated the extent of prejudice in the White population. The legal and normative changes created by the civil rights movement of the 1960s brought a new racial ideology ('color blind racism'), with new topics and a new form. These matters were examined by collecting survey and interview data from college students in three universities. The main findings were that White respondents appear to be more prejudiced in the interviews than in the survey, use a new racetalk to avoid appearing 'racist', and that the themes and arguments that they mobilize are congruent with what other analysts have labeled as 'laissez faire' or 'competitive' racism.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

Discourse and Society

DOI

ISSN

0957-9265

Publication Date

January 1, 2000

Volume

11

Issue

1

Start / End Page

50 / 85

Related Subject Headings

  • Languages & Linguistics
  • 52 Psychology
  • 47 Language, communication and culture
  • 44 Human society
  • 20 Language, Communication and Culture
  • 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
  • 16 Studies in Human Society
 

Citation

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Bonilla-Silva, E., & Forman, T. A. (2000). "I am not a racist but . . .": Mapping White college students' racial ideology in the USA. Discourse and Society, 11(1), 50–85. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926500011001003
Bonilla-Silva, E., and T. A. Forman. “"I am not a racist but . . .": Mapping White college students' racial ideology in the USA.” Discourse and Society 11, no. 1 (January 1, 2000): 50–85. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926500011001003.
Bonilla-Silva E, Forman TA. "I am not a racist but . . .": Mapping White college students' racial ideology in the USA. Discourse and Society. 2000 Jan 1;11(1):50–85.
Bonilla-Silva, E., and T. A. Forman. “"I am not a racist but . . .": Mapping White college students' racial ideology in the USA.” Discourse and Society, vol. 11, no. 1, Jan. 2000, pp. 50–85. Scopus, doi:10.1177/0957926500011001003.
Bonilla-Silva E, Forman TA. "I am not a racist but . . .": Mapping White college students' racial ideology in the USA. Discourse and Society. 2000 Jan 1;11(1):50–85.
Journal cover image

Published In

Discourse and Society

DOI

ISSN

0957-9265

Publication Date

January 1, 2000

Volume

11

Issue

1

Start / End Page

50 / 85

Related Subject Headings

  • Languages & Linguistics
  • 52 Psychology
  • 47 Language, communication and culture
  • 44 Human society
  • 20 Language, Communication and Culture
  • 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
  • 16 Studies in Human Society