There has been an explosion of books and articles on race and racism since the 1970s. The editors argue that themes were laid down then which have grown since, reproducing central lines of thought rather than breaking new paths. This collection takes up that sentiment by gathering together a range of seminal writing from writers on race and racism ‐ Said, Stuart Hall, Guha, Balibar, Toni Morrison, and others ‐ all peviously published but not together in one place.
The passages chosen are key for understanding how issues were raised and developed, and they are important examples of the work of each writer too. Then, in an imaginative extension of this, the book includes “reflections” written either by the original writers (as they bring their thoughts up to date or reflect on what they said earlier on) or by other writers with current credentials in the field. The editors have identified texts with skill, knowledge and acumen, contributed substantially to the book in their own right, and provided a helpful and revealing compendium of key works and responses.
Responses are organised under five headings ‐ histories and values, knowledge and representation, systems and experiences, élites and politics, and dominance and struggles, reflecting both the changes and the persistent preoccupations of those involved with race and racism.
Said’s well‐known Orientalism (1978) starts things off, its perspective and realigning impact still subtle and powerful. Stuart Hall’s argument about structural dominance and racism derive from Sociological Theories (1980), weaving together arguments and methodology and sources which became second nature to later researchers. We get Angela Davis on women and race, Martin Barker on racism in the UK and Cornel West on the forms it took in the USA, Bhabha on colonial discourse and the subaltern arguments of Ranajit Guha (from Dominance without Hegemony, 1987), Patricia Hill Collins and Toni Morrison on being black and female and American, and racist discourse in The Netherlands from Teun van Dijk. An examination of race and political power by Ann Laura Stoler, the blurred boundaries of ethnicity from Maria Markus, a perceptive essay on “everyday racism” from Philomena Essed, and another on modernity, race and morality from Goldberg, explore key issues and push themes forward to today. Then the responses, as original writers reflect on what they said and what they think now, and others highlight the importance then and still of many of the issues and arguments. A useful index weaves many individual themes together across the book.
This is a very useful collection of locus classicus texts for any course on race and racism. The bibliographical information is wide‐ranging and topical, full of texts any good library should have, and many worth considering for recommended readings and short loan. Essed is based at the University of Amsterdam and Goldberg at the University of California in Irvine. The other contributors are (some have been for many years) active researchers and writers in the field. The editors hope that the conceptual influences and links will be revealed, contrasting assumptions and frames of analysis compared, and the reflections highlight the critical dimensions of race theorizing and their pedagogical implications. The book does this and at the (paperback) price they do it at a manageable price.
