Abstract
[Extract]
"Racism, “the pervasively malignant and malicious systemic illness” (Yancy, 2018, p. 1), has been an abiding feature of white organisations and societies. Its formation, through a combination of interlaced European racial sciences, philosophy and religious doctrines as the alibi for colonialism and slavery, ultimately left in its wake a normalised racial hierarchy that has produced and protected white power and privilege (Bonilla-Silva, 2006; DuBois, 2007[1920]; Mills, 1997)."
As we wrote these opening words in the original Call for Papers of our special issue in April 2019, we were tuning in to a swelling undercurrent of antagonistic sentiment that simultaneously over-inflated and delegitimised the gains in racial equality made over the past half-century. This so-called “post-racial” political discourse asserted that we were all equal now and that racial equality posed a threat to nations of the Global North. Yet a parallel discourse constructed immigrants and refugees as the scapegoats of wealth disparity. Narratives of nostalgia soothed anxieties by whitewashing history as racially uncomplicated and stoked defensiveness to changes, including the felling of celebratory memorials to colonialists and the election of a democratic presidential candidate.
"Racism, “the pervasively malignant and malicious systemic illness” (Yancy, 2018, p. 1), has been an abiding feature of white organisations and societies. Its formation, through a combination of interlaced European racial sciences, philosophy and religious doctrines as the alibi for colonialism and slavery, ultimately left in its wake a normalised racial hierarchy that has produced and protected white power and privilege (Bonilla-Silva, 2006; DuBois, 2007[1920]; Mills, 1997)."
As we wrote these opening words in the original Call for Papers of our special issue in April 2019, we were tuning in to a swelling undercurrent of antagonistic sentiment that simultaneously over-inflated and delegitimised the gains in racial equality made over the past half-century. This so-called “post-racial” political discourse asserted that we were all equal now and that racial equality posed a threat to nations of the Global North. Yet a parallel discourse constructed immigrants and refugees as the scapegoats of wealth disparity. Narratives of nostalgia soothed anxieties by whitewashing history as racially uncomplicated and stoked defensiveness to changes, including the felling of celebratory memorials to colonialists and the election of a democratic presidential candidate.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 105-113 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Equality, Diversity and Inclusion |
Volume | 40 |
Issue number | 2 |
Early online date | 25 Feb 2021 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 8 Mar 2021 |
Externally published | Yes |