Racial Theories in Social Science ─ A Systemic Racism Critique

Racial Theories in Social Science: A Systemic Racism Perspective provides a critique of the white racial framing and lack of systemic-racism analysis prevalent in past and present mainstream race theory. As this book demonstrates, mainstream racial analysis, and social analysis more generally, remain stunted and uncritical because of this unhealthy white framing of knowledge and evasion or downplaying of institutional, structural, and systemic racism. In response to ineffective social science analyses of racial matters, this book presents a counter-approach---systemic racism theory. The foundation of this theoretical perspective lies in the critical insights and perspectives of African Americans and other people of color who have long challenged biased white-framed perspectives and practices and the racially oppressive and exclusionary institutions and social systems created by whites over several centuries.

Sean Elias studies racial group divisions and epistemological color lines in social science, black cultural-intellectual traditions, particularly black social thought and Louisiana Creole culture, and perspectives and practices of elites. He has taught at Prairie View A&M University (an HBCU) and Southern Methodist University (an HWCU) and now teaches at Colorado Mountain College while completing fieldwork on the Aspen elite.

Joe Feagin, Ella McFadden Professor at Texas A&M University, has done decades of research on racism and sexism issues. Among his major books areSystemic Racism (Routledge 2006); The White Racial Frame (2nd ed; Routledge 2013);Racist America (3rd ed; Routledge 2014); Latinos Facing Racism (Paradigm 2014, with Jose Cobas); andThe Myth of the Model Minority (2nd ed., Paradigm, 2015, with Rosalind Chou). He is the recipient of the American Sociological Association’s Du Bois Career of Distinguished Scholarship Award and was the 1999-2000 president of the American Sociological Association.