Racialized Politics: The Debate about Racism in America

TLDR

The debate centers on whether racism has declined, remains underground, and whether it is learned, structurally maintained, or driven by non‑racial ideologies. The authors examine the late‑1990s debate on the origins of racism in America. They analyze the debate through three essays that represent social‑psychological, social‑structural, and ideological approaches. The collection offers a comprehensive assessment of how racism influences mass politics and public opinion.

Abstract

Are Americans less prejudiced now than they were in the 1970s, or has racism simply gone underground? Is racism something that is learned as children, or is it a result of certain social groups striving to maintain their privileged positions in society? In this text, political scientists, sociologists and psychologists explore the late-1990s debate surrounding the sources of racism in America. The essays represent three major approaches to the topic. The social psychological approach maintains that prejudice socialized early in life feeds racial stereotypes, while the social structural viewpoint argues that behaviour is shaped by whites' fear of losing their privileged status. The third perspective looks to non-racially inspired ideology, including attitudes about the size and role of government, as the reason for opposition to policies such as affirmative action. This collection provides a state-of-the-field assessment of the issues and findings on the role of racism in mass politics and public opinion.