Nonfiction

Racism Without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America

Racism Without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America

  • Downloads：5506
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-11-22 09:19:20
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Eduardo Bonilla-Silva
  • ISBN：1538151413
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Ben Jones ，

1-10 Takeaways:1） Silva describes "Color-Blind Racism" （CBR） as racist perspectives/behaviors that further racial inequality done by people （primarily whites） who outwardly profess no ill-will towards racial minorities。 Silva offers advice as to how CBR can be eliminated: 1。1） It is not enough to not be racist。 You need to be anti-racist。 That means when there is racial inequality across certain categories such as housing， education， etc。， you should not explain it away as something natural/cult 1-10 Takeaways:1） Silva describes "Color-Blind Racism" （CBR） as racist perspectives/behaviors that further racial inequality done by people （primarily whites） who outwardly profess no ill-will towards racial minorities。 Silva offers advice as to how CBR can be eliminated: 1。1） It is not enough to not be racist。 You need to be anti-racist。 That means when there is racial inequality across certain categories such as housing， education， etc。， you should not explain it away as something natural/culturally common among that particular race; instead， you should actively identify and campaign against systems that cause the inequality （unfair lending practices， school funding， etc。）。 1。2） After beginning to campaign against systems that cause inequality， avoid any sense of superiority。 Having a sense of superiority betrays the spirit of anti-racism。 1。3） Audit the people you spend time with and the organizations you support。 1-10 Questions: 1） Silva warns of Minimization of Racism （whites explaining racial inequality being the result of something other than racism）。 Will racism still be "over" even if there is racial inequality but no particular system can be pointed to/campaigned against？ 2） Silva recommends "living a multi-cultural life" where you befriend/interact with a diverse array of races， ethnicities， cultures， etc。 How can this be done in a sincere， altruistic and frankly non-cringe-inducing way？ （No one likes to be seen as a "project" or object used for guilt abolition/self-actualization）。 。。。more

Alysha DeShaé ，

So I know that the writer says he would be interested in a study that follows the participants to see， essentially， how their racism developed as they get older。 But I would be curious to see how many evolve into less racist people。I know as a young adult， college aged， I still accepted at almost face value the things the adults around me said/projected。 This resulted in me being kind of a shitty human。 However， as I've gotten older， I've definitely grown as a person and， I think， confronted a l So I know that the writer says he would be interested in a study that follows the participants to see， essentially， how their racism developed as they get older。 But I would be curious to see how many evolve into less racist people。I know as a young adult， college aged， I still accepted at almost face value the things the adults around me said/projected。 This resulted in me being kind of a shitty human。 However， as I've gotten older， I've definitely grown as a person and， I think， confronted a lot of ingrained racist beliefs that I had。 And I'm still learning - hence reading this book。 I'll definitely be reading it again because there's so much in here。 。。。more

Lucas ，

Though clearly formatted as a college textbook， this book is well worth a read for anyone who seeks to understand the pervasiveness of racism in a country that professes to be in a post-racial era。 Drawing on two new dedicated qualitative interview studies and several previous data sets， Bonilla-Silva confronts White America's discriminations both active and subconsciously-learned and presents the necessarily radical paths forward that we must take if we are to avoid a baked-in racial hierarchy Though clearly formatted as a college textbook， this book is well worth a read for anyone who seeks to understand the pervasiveness of racism in a country that professes to be in a post-racial era。 Drawing on two new dedicated qualitative interview studies and several previous data sets， Bonilla-Silva confronts White America's discriminations both active and subconsciously-learned and presents the necessarily radical paths forward that we must take if we are to avoid a baked-in racial hierarchy that we can no longer fight。 。。。more

Mukexal ，

extremely eye-opening and written beautifully。 so excited to write a paper about this & focus on switzerland

Molly ，

Racism without Racists is a book that covers a lot of ground that the last years really has hammered into the popular consciousness， like how racism is still a huge problem， how racist people who claim to be tolerant and "colorblind" can be， and what actually needs to be done to fight racism in modern society。 It goes even further than that in the last section， giving direct advice to join groups fighting for justice for marginalized people， hoping that the reader won't sit on the sidelines of h Racism without Racists is a book that covers a lot of ground that the last years really has hammered into the popular consciousness， like how racism is still a huge problem， how racist people who claim to be tolerant and "colorblind" can be， and what actually needs to be done to fight racism in modern society。 It goes even further than that in the last section， giving direct advice to join groups fighting for justice for marginalized people， hoping that the reader won't sit on the sidelines of history。 If you think my review is saying that "you basically know what's in the book if you've absorbed the cultural osmosis over the last couple of years，" you're kind of right， but it goes further in-depth， argues about things you may feel uncomfortable asking about， and doesn't pull any punches。 It's worth reading。 。。。more

Lucy ，

This is actually a re-read for me

Jarrel ，

"Many white listeners and this is unfortunate hate this book because they believe I called them racist。 They agree with all the things I categorized as part of color-blind racism and hence feel rightful indignation。 These listeners believe sincerely believe the problems afflicting people of color are mostly due to their own doing。 Thus in their view， if these just worked harder， behaved better， complained less， and get on with the American program they would be okay。 "Genius。 Loved it。 Loved the "Many white listeners and this is unfortunate hate this book because they believe I called them racist。 They agree with all the things I categorized as part of color-blind racism and hence feel rightful indignation。 These listeners believe sincerely believe the problems afflicting people of color are mostly due to their own doing。 Thus in their view， if these just worked harder， behaved better， complained less， and get on with the American program they would be okay。 "Genius。 Loved it。 Loved the research and interviews。 Racism is here and it is alive and well。 。。。more

Nicolas Poore ，

really interesting points made， regardless of how much of an antiracist you think you are。

Aaron ，

This is very useful， but the last 100 pages （in the fourth edition） are worse than the rest of the book。

Stephanie ，

It would appear I’ve developed a “comfort zone” in reading about racism against black people and I keep putting off books about the treatment of Indigenous people。 This speaks a lot to my biases and where I am from/what the major racial discrimination is here （ahem: Canada）。 But that isn’t to say this book isn’t relevant in Canada， absolutely it is！ Just… I really need to stop putting off reading about the worst horrors of my own nation of birth。

Sachiko ，

4。5

Alex ，

Generally really good。 The author kind of came off as a butthurt Bernie Bro towards the end， overly critical of Obama for things that were out of his control， the inability to legislate a single payer health system， etc。 I think it could have been pointed out in a way that didn’t sound like more progressive whining about Bernie not being nominated。 I say all this as a pretty progressive person， but there’s just that line where it turns into whiny butt hurt Bernie bro ranting。

Hannah Stowe ，

An exceptionally incisive look at how white liberals specifically， talk about and ultimately support the survival of racism in America。 I recognized a lot of talking points and especially a lot of 'compliments' or 'praise' or even 'sympathies' that I have heard and used myself。 I enjoyed the academic nature of the book and I feel that， more so than many of the other anti-racism books or other discussions， this book gave me （like， SPECIFICALLY me） some concrete steps toward identifying and workin An exceptionally incisive look at how white liberals specifically， talk about and ultimately support the survival of racism in America。 I recognized a lot of talking points and especially a lot of 'compliments' or 'praise' or even 'sympathies' that I have heard and used myself。 I enjoyed the academic nature of the book and I feel that， more so than many of the other anti-racism books or other discussions， this book gave me （like， SPECIFICALLY me） some concrete steps toward identifying and working though the legacy left me by the （somewhat） well-meaning but ultimately harmful ideas inherent to color-blind racism。 It was not comfortable， but I would definitely suggest it for people who grew up in a rather liberal household that mostly lacked the 'old style' of racism， but none-the-less was very， very white and not very connected to poc issues or people。 。。。more

Karky ，

While I appreciate statistics， I’ve come to appreciate that storytelling is a great deal more convincing。 I felt this book tipped more towards stats。 Great for the academics， but disengaging for many。 Still， there were several great testimonials and survey answers that were very helpful dissected to show patterns of behavior。 And I quite liked the critiques of Obama and Clinton， though it failed to take some factors into account that tied their hands some。 Plus， they came SO CLOSE to criticizing While I appreciate statistics， I’ve come to appreciate that storytelling is a great deal more convincing。 I felt this book tipped more towards stats。 Great for the academics， but disengaging for many。 Still， there were several great testimonials and survey answers that were very helpful dissected to show patterns of behavior。 And I quite liked the critiques of Obama and Clinton， though it failed to take some factors into account that tied their hands some。 Plus， they came SO CLOSE to criticizing Bernie Sander’s class-based approach but never actually made the connection， therefore failing to offer a critique of him。 I’d still recommend it to anyone who prescribes to colorblind views。 And it made me think about some of my own transgressions。 。。。more

Mary ，

This was very good and I wish I had read it when I was younger。 （Or maybe I don't; I wasn't as smart then as I am now。） The utter wishy-washyness of color-blind racism makes it hard for its perpetrators to recognize as such but its effects are solid enough。 I could see myself in some of the examples the author used which was not a fun realization but this wasn't about my feelings so oh well。 This was very good and I wish I had read it when I was younger。 （Or maybe I don't; I wasn't as smart then as I am now。） The utter wishy-washyness of color-blind racism makes it hard for its perpetrators to recognize as such but its effects are solid enough。 I could see myself in some of the examples the author used which was not a fun realization but this wasn't about my feelings so oh well。 。。。more

Maureen ，

the underlying idea （racism hasn't gone away， its just morphed and uses different justifications） isn't new to anyone who's done any reading at all on this， but the interview examples of the way people justify/hide their racism （including to/from themselves） was interesting the underlying idea （racism hasn't gone away， its just morphed and uses different justifications） isn't new to anyone who's done any reading at all on this， but the interview examples of the way people justify/hide their racism （including to/from themselves） was interesting 。。。more

Michael ，

Amazing This is a pretty eye-opening book on the persistent racism that has plagued this nation for centuries。 Racism has never went away，it’s just subtle and occasionally recorded。 We are in 2021，yet we are still hearing about police brutality，discrimination，viral racist Karen’s and everything known to man。I could go into detail what this book was about but the main talking points was being anti-racist，micro-aggressions and discrimination in every area of our life。Amazing book that addresses ra Amazing This is a pretty eye-opening book on the persistent racism that has plagued this nation for centuries。 Racism has never went away，it’s just subtle and occasionally recorded。 We are in 2021，yet we are still hearing about police brutality，discrimination，viral racist Karen’s and everything known to man。I could go into detail what this book was about but the main talking points was being anti-racist，micro-aggressions and discrimination in every area of our life。Amazing book that addresses racism in every area of life！ 。。。more

Susan ，

Well done study and analysis。 Data used is came from the 1990's。 Would be interesting to see any changes in opinions expressed in the recent past。 Well done study and analysis。 Data used is came from the 1990's。 Would be interesting to see any changes in opinions expressed in the recent past。 。。。more

Mariella ，

Okay I'm cheating a little bit with this。 Still got another chapter to go。 But this book is a reference text book basically。 All data and absolutely important information but taken as a whole it's just too much to read straight through。 This is all data and great for citing but on it's own， exhausting。 Okay I'm cheating a little bit with this。 Still got another chapter to go。 But this book is a reference text book basically。 All data and absolutely important information but taken as a whole it's just too much to read straight through。 This is all data and great for citing but on it's own， exhausting。 。。。more

Emily Fassler ，

I read this book with a small group of work peers。 Some important things are said in here， but most of it fell short。 I don't feel fully equipped to outline all of the things that felt off， as this is very much an academic sociology book， and other reviewers have done that in a much more thorough and insightful way。The studies Bonilla-Silva cites and discussing were run in the 90s， and a lot of it felt wildly outdated。 （NOT the concept of colorblind racism， of course， that is very much still ali I read this book with a small group of work peers。 Some important things are said in here， but most of it fell short。 I don't feel fully equipped to outline all of the things that felt off， as this is very much an academic sociology book， and other reviewers have done that in a much more thorough and insightful way。The studies Bonilla-Silva cites and discussing were run in the 90s， and a lot of it felt wildly outdated。 （NOT the concept of colorblind racism， of course， that is very much still alive and well and I am not arguing that in the least。） The examples he discusses felt specifically selected to prove his point - I didn't feel that we were getting a full picture。 （Also felt like his sample sizes were kind of small？？ I don't know a ton about statistics and data-gathering， but even to me something seemed lacking in this arena。） Chapter to chapter， the structure and presentation of anecdotes was incredibly repetitive， and I didn't feel like I was getting new information。 In the fifth edition， there has been inserted a giant chapter about Obama's presidency and the election of Donald Trump （I believe this edition was published right around when Trump took office）。 This chapter felt wildly inconsistent with the rest of the book， as it more excoriated Obama's presidency than addressed racial colorblindness， and I wish he had published it separately instead of inserting it into this book。 Overall I didn't get anything out of this book that many other books on anti-racism and racial justice have given me， and would have DNF-ed if I wasn't accountable to the peers with whom I was reading it。 。。。more

Bill Redinger ，

I found that the author spent more time explaining what was different with the updated version， than actually getting to the content。 When he described the situation in the chapter， he assumed that the reader was remembering all the details; he did not fully expound or elucidate， he just just gave a vague recap and moved on， or compared two situations that required the reader to know the historical facts already， or remembered them in detail。 I gave up half way through。

Ricki ，

I do not disagree with Bonilla-Silva's thesis， I do question some of his support materials， plus the highly academic nature of the book made for slow reading。 I do not disagree with Bonilla-Silva's thesis， I do question some of his support materials， plus the highly academic nature of the book made for slow reading。 。。。more

Cara ，

Great content just very academic from a godfather of sociological race studies。 The last two chapters are the best。

Synthia Salomon ，

Argument: one unintended consequence of this approach is that white people oftentimes arrive at the erroneous conclusion that some racism exists but they， personally， are responsible for none of it。

Kristi ，

Wishing there were some follow up on the older survey data。 Not that I think it would change the conclusions significantly， but I would like to know if/how the discourses of color-blind racism has shifted or morphed since his first data collection in the late '90s。 Wishing there were some follow up on the older survey data。 Not that I think it would change the conclusions significantly， but I would like to know if/how the discourses of color-blind racism has shifted or morphed since his first data collection in the late '90s。 。。。more

William Crosby ，

[Iowa mention]

Taylor Parker ，

The research presented is clearly laid out and accessible to broad audiences。 I really appreciated the book's clear explanations of terms， research methods， and perspectives on analyses。 The research presented is clearly laid out and accessible to broad audiences。 I really appreciated the book's clear explanations of terms， research methods， and perspectives on analyses。 。。。more

Manoske ，

The author wants to persuade us that NOT judging a person on the color of their skin is racism。Was really disappointed in this。 Supposed conclusions/proofs not supported by reality。 Total sophistry。Feeding racism to make a buck is despicable。

Heather ，

This book wasn’t what I expected it to be， but I’m still glad I read it。 It was rich with data and clinical， which made it tough to read at time。 I found the last three chapters particularly engaging。

Hepexi ，

This book is very well-written。