Racism: A Very Short Introduction 1st Edition by Ali Rattansi (Oxford University Press)

Rattansi's very short introduction to racism does a very good job at unsettling both racialist and activist simplifications of race. Rattansi focuses first in the UK, then the US, but also comments on racialized dynamics outside of the "white" world. Rattansi points out that many activist notions actually oversimplify the contradictory views of most individuals towards race in a way that may have unintended consequences. Rattansi's use of a radicalization spectrum does better accommodate complicated views and even contradictory definitions of race itself than binary "racist" and "non-racist" declarations. The one area Rattansi seems a little dated in is not talking about privilege paradigms of racism and standpoint epistemology as applied to racism. Perhaps Rattansi focus on the UK where this theory of racism is newer than in the US, where it developed in academic circles in late 1980s and early 1990s, but only really caught on in activist circles the mid-2000s as cultural theory. Although some of Rattansi's discussion and criticism of the contradictory implications of "institutional racism" maybe applicable to standpoint theory. Anyway, for those mew to the study of racism as a concept I would highly recommend it with the caveats I have listed above.

From subtle discrimination in everyday life, to horrors like lynching in the Old South, cultural imperialism, and "ethnic cleansing", racism exists in many different forms, in almost every facet of society. Despite civil rights movements and other attempts at progress, racial prejudices and stereotypes remain deeply embedded in Western culture. Racismtakes a frank and objective look at why these notions exist. It explores how racism has come to be so firmly established, and looks at how race, ethnicity, and xenophobia are related. This book incorporates the latest research to demystify the subject of racism and explore its history, science, and culture. It sheds light not only on how racism has evolved since its earliest beginnings, but also explores the numerous embodiments of racism, highlighting the paradox of its survival, despite the scientific discrediting of the notion of 'race' with the latest advances in genetics. As encompassing as it is concise, Racism is a valuable guide to one of the world's most destructive problems.