Racecraft
The Soul of Inequality in American Life
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4.3 • 10 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Hailed by Zadie Smith and Ta-Nehisi Coates, this new edition of the celebrated contemporary work on race and racism “ought to be positioned at the center of any discussion of race in American life” (Bookforum).
Most people assume racism grows from a perception of human difference: the fact of race gives rise to the practice of racism. Sociologist Karen E. Fields and historian Barbara J. Fields argue otherwise: the practice of racism produces the illusion of race, through what they call “racecraft.” And this phenomenon is intimately entwined with other forms of inequality in American life. So pervasive are the devices of racecraft in American history, economic doctrine, politics, and everyday thinking that the presence of racecraft itself goes unnoticed.
That the promised post-racial age has not dawned, the authors argue, reflects the failure of Americans to develop a legitimate language for thinking about and discussing inequality. That failure should worry everyone who cares about democratic institutions.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Eller reads the audio edition of this influential sociological study, originally published in 2012 and now available in audio for the first time. Drawing on legal, linguistic, and sociological scholarship, the book makes a powerful and convincing analogy between the social constructs of "witchcraft" and "race," arguing that they were both created, sustained, and pursued by dominant groups to divide society and exert power over other groups of people. For the most part, Eller hits the important points in the book with a clear and emphatic delivery that helps readers follow the authors' argument. At other times, her painstakingly steady pacing and pronunciation creates a staccato rhythm that loses the listener. Still, the value of the book is making this conversation-shifting text accessible in the audio format, and Eller does a satisfactory job. A Verso paperback.
Customer Reviews
Wisdom for those who still see things only in black and white
I was drawn to Barbara J. Fields's eloquent and enlightening excerpts on slavery in The Ken Burns Civil War documentary. "Racecraft" is a powerfully written book by two sisters who have clearly uncovered the fabric of race, not as a self-evident entity, but a concept "crafted" solely in the mind. Numerous examples strongly support the authors' thesis. The illusionary bubble containing "race-specific" traits - such as diseases (sickle cell anemia) and genetic predispositions - bursts open by the puncturing sound evidence provided in "Racecraft."
Growing up white in Detroit, I never knew the concept of race until it was taught to me. I played freely with all children, never thinking of someone as fundamentally different just because of a variation in skin pigmentation. When I was literally "warned" of the difference by my elders, I learned fear and how to "Racecraft." It's time we take the wisdom within this book and stop the divisive and corrosive concept of "Race."