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 Trepagnier uses vivid focus group interviews to argue that the oppositional categories of racist/not racist are outdated.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.

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

Reviews
Silent Racism is a groundbreaking text that explores the other side of racism-the well-meaning people who consider themselves `non-racist'... This book provides readers with rich empirical data, a strong theoretical foundation, and applied tools for teaching and social change. A significant contribution to race theory ... a must-read for anyone interested in understanding race in today's society. -- Jeffrianne Wilder, Gender & Society (Sociologists for Women in Society)
"Important [because] it addresses white folks who see themselves as `not racist.'...This is a group that has been sorely understudied....Highly significant." -- Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Duke University
Barbara Trepagnier's fine book on institutional racism is an important statement on this timely topic... Her provocative concept of "silent racism" can be nurtured with insights gained from comparative research across gender and social class...Her work is important to symbolic interactionists because she beings with Herbert Blumer's idea of seeing racism as a social process. -- Joseph A. Kotarba, University of Houston in Symbolic Interactions



Book Information
ISBN 9781594518287
Author Barbara Trepagnier
Format Paperback
Page Count 220
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Inc
Weight(grams) 317g