Silent Racism

Vivid and engaging, Silent Racism persuasively demonstrates that silent racism-racism by people who classify themselves as "not racist"-is instrumental in the production of institutional racism. Trepagnier argues that heightened race awareness is more important in changing racial inequality than judging whether individuals are racist. The collective voices and confessions of "nonracist" white women heard in this book help reveal that all individuals harbor some racist thoughts and feelings. Trepagnier uses vivid focus group interviews to argue that the oppositional categories of racist/not racist are outdated. The oppositional categories should be replaced in contemporary thought with a continuum model that more accurately portrays today's racial reality in the United States. A shift to a continuum model can raise the race awareness of well-meaning white people and improve race relations. Offering a fresh approach, Silent Racism is an essential resource for teaching and thinking about racism in the twenty-first century.

Barbara Trepagnier is Professor of Sociology at Texas State University- San Marcos where she teaches social theory and social psychology.

Preface Chapter 1 Rethinking Racism Chapter 2 Silent Racism Chapter 3 Passivity in Well-Meaning White People Chapter 4 The Production of Institutional Racism Chapter 5 Race Awareness Matters Chapter 6 Antiracist Practice Chapter 7 Epilogue Appendix A: Methodological Concerns Appendix B: Biographies of the Participants Appendix C: Participants' Race Awareness Appendix D: Antiracism Resources References Index About the Author