Reply to Professor Fenelon and Adding Emotion to My Materialist RSS Theory

In this reply, I accept Professor Fenelon basic critique: that I, as most “race scholars,” fail to take seriously Indigenous accounts in my theorization. However, I challenge several of his specific arguments about my work as well as some of his historical claims. I also include in this reply an unrelated section to Professor Fenelon’s critique of my work on the topic of race and emotion. This addition to my racial theory is crucial because although I still contend that racism has a material foundation, humans cannot live of bread alone–that is, race cannot exist without an emotional bond.

Duke Scholars

Author Eduardo Bonilla-Silva Sociology