Theorizing Racism

Why does racism persist in the twenty-first century? How has racism changed over time? Are the vast majority of Americans racist? Or does racism largely exist without racists? Is racism a problem we can overcome? Or is it a permanent feature of American democracy? This lecture course will examine these questions through a critical reconstruction of the most prominent theories of racism in the social sciences and humanities, identifying the concept’s central problem space, while simultaneously opening up the question, what, if anything, can be done to intervene on this stubbornly persistent problem. Along the way, we will also interrogate related concepts like racial injustice, racial prejudice, race relations, racial inequality, white supremacy, antiblack racism, and herrenvolk democracy.