to encourage dialogue and learning retention. For those for whom an illustration assists comprehension, a “Diagram” is included that proposes the basic relationships between the theory’s components. The “Key Terms” section gives the definition of key concepts used in the theory, and, whenever available, the terms are in the form of a quote from the theorist. In many cases, theories share key terms, so it is important to recognize how the definitions of these terms vary across theory. “Key People” is a brief biography of the theorist or theorists and where applicable includes the theorist’s personal website and/or Twitter account. “Works Cited and Further Reading” includes the scholarship cited in the chapter and related sources that can be consulted in further investigation. This systematic organization, which is used in every chapter, will aid the reader in learning how to analyze theory and make it easier to compare and contrast the theories.
A Note on Reflexivity
I write this book as a White woman born and academically trained in the United States. As a White woman, I recognize my privileged status, both in society and specifically in academia. This privilege has helped me secure a position as a tenured professor and teach about the horrors of White supremacy without the degree of pushback that my colleagues of color experience. In addition, not intentional, but apparent, this book reflects my orientation as a researcher in the United States, as most of the theorists used in this book are also from the United States. Yet the theories themselves often speak to issues that cross national lines, and therefore I hope they remain of use to those not working in the United States. In writing this book, I aimed to be critically reflexive on how my social position informs my thinking and writing, to be aware of the opportunities given to me, and to remain committed to pushing our conversations and our activism on racism forward.
Works Cited
Abend, Gabriel. 2008. “The Meaning of ‘Theory.’” Sociological Theory 26(2):173–99.
Alexander, Jeffrey C. 1987. Twenty Lectures: Sociological Theory since World War II. New York: Columbia University Press.
Bonilla-Silva, Eduardo. 2003. Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Feagin, Joe. 2006. Systemic Racism: A Theory of Oppression. New York: Routledge.
Gannon, Megan. 2016. “Race Is a Social Construct, Scientists Argue.” Scientific American, February 5. Retrieved January 2, 2020 (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/race-is-a-social-construct-scientists-argue).
Golash-Boza, Tanya. 2016. “A Critical and Comprehensive Sociological Theory of Race and Racism.” Sociology of Race and Ethnicity 2(2):129–41.
Joas, Hans and Wolfgang Knöbl. 2009. Social Theory: Twenty Introductory Lectures. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Lanham, David and Amy Liu. 2019. “Not Just a Typographical Change: Why Brookings Is Capitalizing Black.” Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution, September 23. Retrieved January 2, 2020 (https://www.brookings.edu/research/brookingscapitalizesblack).
Mills, Charles W. 1997. The Racial Contract. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
National Human Genome Research Institute. 2018. “Genetics vs. Genomics Fact Sheet.” Retrieved January 2, 2020 (https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Genetics-vs-Genomics).
Oxford English Dictionary. 2019. “Oppression, n.” Retrieved January 2, 2020 (https://www-oed-com.librda.mville.edu/view/Entry/132008?redirectedFrom=oppression&).
Race Forward. 2015. “Race Forward’s Race Reporting Guide.” New York: Author.
Simón, Yara. 2018. “Hispanic vs. Latino vs. Latinx: A Brief History of How These Words Originated.” Brooklyn, NY: Remezcla, September 14. Retrieved January 9, 2020 (https://remezcla.com/about-us).
Steinmetz, Katy. 2018. “Why ‘Latinx’ Is Succeeding while Other Gender-Neutral Terms Fail to Catch On.” Time, April 2. Retrieved January 9, 2020 (https://time.com/5191804/latinx-definition-meaning-latino-hispanic-gender-neutral).
Turner, Bryan S. 2016. “Introduction: A New Agenda for Social Theory?” Pp. 1–16 in The New Blackwell Companion to Social Theory, edited by B. S. Turner. Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell.
Notes
1. Abend (2008); Turner (2016).
2. Abend (2008:179).
3. Alexander (1987:3).
4 Joas and Knöbl (2009:4).
5. Ibid. (5).
6. Alexander (1987:3).
7. National Human Genome Research Institute (2018).
8. Gannon (2016).
9. Oxford English Dictionary (2019).
10. Bonilla-Silva (2006); Feagin (2006); Golash-Boza (2016); Mills (1997).
11. Mills (1997).
12. Race Forward (2015).
13. Lanham and Liu (2019).
14. Simón (2018); Steinmetz (2018).
15. Golash-Boza (2016).
Acknowledgments
This book, like most, has been a long process, and many people have helped and encouraged me along the way. I am incredibly lucky to be surrounded by a large group of supportive students, colleagues, friends, and family.
As a professor at a liberal arts college, I am heavily invested in teaching and have been afforded the opportunity to teach several courses on race and racism. It is in these classes that students often push me to be clearer and engage me in nuanced dialogue, for which I am very grateful. Thank you to all the students in African American Communities, Race and Ethnicity, Race and Housing, and Social Inequality classes. A special shout-out to students who read chapter drafts and provided their insightful feedback. Thank you Ariel Abdul-Mateen, Lia Garcia Berrido (who read multiple chapters), Monica Keel (who also helped with editing), and Moriah McDuffie.
Many colleagues have helped with this book by talking with me through this process, providing critical feedback, and reading chapter drafts; I could not have written this book without their assistance. A huge thank-you to David Brunsma, Erica Chito Childs, Woody Doane, Corey Dolgon, David Embrick, Chip Gallagher, Amanda Koontz, Cameron Lippard, Emalee Quickel, Saher Selod, James Thomas, Milton Vickerman, Johnny Williams, Beth Williford, and George Wilson. I am fortunate to say that many of these colleagues are also very good friends, and they have supported
