Classified: The Untold History of Racial Classification In America, was the subject of my book research.I read a lot of books and articles on race and ethnicity in America, many of which were related to my forthcoming book. Others were more distant. Andreas Wimmer’s Race-centrism. An Analysis and a Resaerch Plan is the standout article in this latter section. It was published by Ethnic and Racial Studies (2015). This article is remarkable because Wimmer challenges accepted truths among sociologists, anthropologists, and writers about race. Wimmer also engaged in this questioning while a Princeton professor (he’s now at Columbia). As VC readers know, challenging widely accepted academic views on race in America isn’t the best way to achieve academic success.
Below is an example:
[Three prominent recent academic books on race]These analyses were based upon five fundamental assumptions, which I call the paradigm for race-centrism. The primary principle of US stratification is race. The second reason for racial inequalities can be explained through the racism of either the white majority or the state (explicit, implicit, conscious, or unconscious).
Institutions that act on behalf of it. In the last 50 years, racial disparities in America have increased, decreased or even disappeared. Fourth, racial groups
represent collective actors who share similar interests and views on the world. The fifth and final factor is that race has a similar structuring function around the globe.These race-centric axioms need to be critically examined and empirically investigated for alternative interpretations.
Generalizations can be compared to analytical stances. In other words, rather than treating them as axiomatic truths, to be defended against the common intellectual-political enemy of
These assumptions should be seen as evidence of ‘colourblindness’ and not simply as assertions. These five assumptions are discussed below.
Discuss the empirical and analytical issues they raise and which processes and mechanisms should be added to the empirical and analytical picture.
You can easily separate the race-centrism-focused ones from your own.