Rethinking racism again: theorizing the racial structure “for real”

In this paper I attempt to improve the theorization I advanced in “Rethinking Racism: Towards a Structural Interpretation” (1997) by accounting for what makes the structure work “for real”. To make the structure visible, I do the following three things. First, I explain how once racial structures sediment in history, each racial regime operates mostly though white normativity transmitted through the process of racial habituation. Second, albeit most analysts stress the role of highly racist actors in maintaining racial structures, I contend they mainly work through the actions and inactions of RWF (regular White folks). Third, I discuss various factors that account for the emergence of non-RWF and suggest these actors might be important in the struggle for racial justice. I conclude by highlighting some important unfinished theoretical business and end making a few observations on the difficulties and possibilities of developing progressive racial politics.

Duke Scholars

Author Eduardo Bonilla-Silva Sociology