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The Meaning of Race: Race, History, and Culture in Western Society
Today, race seems to be both everywhere and nowhere. There still exists a general abhorrence about discriminating between people according to their race. And yet, people are continually categorized according to their race--Afro- Caribbean, white, Jewish--though we often have difficulty in defining just what race is. Everything from criminality to the entrepreneurial spirit is given a racial connotation--witness stereotypes of black muggers or Asian shopkeepers.
The Meaning of Race argues that the social meaning of race in modern society emerges from the contradiction between an ideological commitment to equality and the persistence of inequality as a practical reality. Kenan Malik here follows the development of racial ideology over the past two hundred years, tracing the different forms it has taken, from biological theories of race to the relationship between race and culture. Specific attention is focused on the impact of the break up of the postwar order and the end of the Cold War and the concomitant repoliticisation of the notion of racial difference. Malik goes on to critique the poststructuralist and postmodern theories of difference which have become the backbone of contemporary antiracist discourse, and to examine the possibility of transcending the discourse of race.
The Meaning of Race argues that the social meaning of race in modern society emerges from the contradiction between an ideological commitment to equality and the persistence of inequality as a practical reality. Kenan Malik here follows the development of racial ideology over the past two hundred years, tracing the different forms it has taken, from biological theories of race to the relationship between race and culture. Specific attention is focused on the impact of the break up of the postwar order and the end of the Cold War and the concomitant repoliticisation of the notion of racial difference. Malik goes on to critique the poststructuralist and postmodern theories of difference which have become the backbone of contemporary antiracist discourse, and to examine the possibility of transcending the discourse of race.
323 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1996
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About the author
Kenan Malik
13 books63 followersIndian-born British writer, lecturer and broadcaster, trained in neurobiology and the history of science. As an academic author, his focus is on the philosophy of biology, and contemporary theories of multiculturalism, pluralism and race. These topics are core concerns in The Meaning of Race (1996), Man, Beast and Zombie (2000) and Strange Fruit: Why Both Sides Are Wrong in the Race Debate (2008).
Malik's work contains a forthright defence of the values of the 18th-century Enlightenment, which he sees as having been distorted and misunderstood in more recent political and scientific thought. He was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize in 2010
Malik's work contains a forthright defence of the values of the 18th-century Enlightenment, which he sees as having been distorted and misunderstood in more recent political and scientific thought. He was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize in 2010
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 4, 2009
Chapters two and three really helped my understanding of the 18th and 19th century. Malik has a great writing style and makes the history of the discourse of race actually tolerable!
August 24, 2018
Six stars. This is the best, clearest, most important book I've read in 5 years.
March 3, 2026
ESSENTIAL READING EVEN IN ALL OF ITS ACADEMIC WRITING
April 27, 2026
I'm really glad I picked this book up. Malik's analysis of the modern conception of racial difference is extremely insightful. Why is question of race so persistent in modern politics? Although racism is largely condemned by society, the division of humanity into 'races' has persisted, with 'culture' or 'ethnicity' having become parallel terms. Modern right-wing ideology insists against its racism while condemning an influx of foreign 'culture'.
I believe that race is a social construction in a similar way to gender. Racial interpellation comes in many forms, the most obvious being a list of ethnicities to choose from. Yet there are no clear boundaries between races. The idea of race appears coherent until further examination shows that every definition of it becomes tautological. And although scientific racism has been largely condemned, the idea that race is an innate quality of an individual has persisted. Malik argues that this is primarily through the idea of cultural difference and that 20th century anthropology is largely responsible for the modern conception of culture.
The first half of the book primarily focuses on the ideas of scientific racism. It argues that although it is widely condemned, the underlying assumptions behind it have remained. It goes on to analyse the thought of twentieth century anthropologists, notably Claude Levi-Strauss, highlighting that although the concept of races being innately different seemed to dissolve, the idea of humanity being divisible into distinct and immutable cultures remained.
One of most interesting ideas from the book was that although a modern view of humanity conceives of us as equal individuals, deep and structural inequality has persisted. Malik believes that this contradiction is what leads to continued insistence on categorisation. It is very easy to explain away the deep poverty in the Global South by conceiving of it as a difference in culture. As he elegantly puts it, 'race arises out of complex contradictions within capitalist society and articulates those contradictions in complex ways'. For Malik, insistence on multicultural and the maintenance of a diverse society comes from a conception of equality as the right to be different rather than the right to be equal. To think of race as a component of identity rather than a specific social and historical construct has led to fruitless identity politics and the subsequent right wing push against it, a notable example being the recent controversy about diversity quotas in universities.
The latter half focuses on specific ideas, particularly postmodernist and poststructuralist thought (in particular Foucault, Derrida and Heidegger) and their radical anti-humanism. Malik argues that anti-humanist philosophy cannot comprise any genuine argument for equality; humanism is a condition of equality and vice versa. He ultimately argues that a dialectical understanding of the relationship between the universal and the particular is the only way we can transcend the concept of race.It allows us to see human differences as socially constructed, while reminding us that our common social essence is the basis for revolutionary politics and a genuine hope for equality.
It was a shame to see this book had barely any reviews. I hope more people give it a go !
I believe that race is a social construction in a similar way to gender. Racial interpellation comes in many forms, the most obvious being a list of ethnicities to choose from. Yet there are no clear boundaries between races. The idea of race appears coherent until further examination shows that every definition of it becomes tautological. And although scientific racism has been largely condemned, the idea that race is an innate quality of an individual has persisted. Malik argues that this is primarily through the idea of cultural difference and that 20th century anthropology is largely responsible for the modern conception of culture.
The first half of the book primarily focuses on the ideas of scientific racism. It argues that although it is widely condemned, the underlying assumptions behind it have remained. It goes on to analyse the thought of twentieth century anthropologists, notably Claude Levi-Strauss, highlighting that although the concept of races being innately different seemed to dissolve, the idea of humanity being divisible into distinct and immutable cultures remained.
One of most interesting ideas from the book was that although a modern view of humanity conceives of us as equal individuals, deep and structural inequality has persisted. Malik believes that this contradiction is what leads to continued insistence on categorisation. It is very easy to explain away the deep poverty in the Global South by conceiving of it as a difference in culture. As he elegantly puts it, 'race arises out of complex contradictions within capitalist society and articulates those contradictions in complex ways'. For Malik, insistence on multicultural and the maintenance of a diverse society comes from a conception of equality as the right to be different rather than the right to be equal. To think of race as a component of identity rather than a specific social and historical construct has led to fruitless identity politics and the subsequent right wing push against it, a notable example being the recent controversy about diversity quotas in universities.
The latter half focuses on specific ideas, particularly postmodernist and poststructuralist thought (in particular Foucault, Derrida and Heidegger) and their radical anti-humanism. Malik argues that anti-humanist philosophy cannot comprise any genuine argument for equality; humanism is a condition of equality and vice versa. He ultimately argues that a dialectical understanding of the relationship between the universal and the particular is the only way we can transcend the concept of race.It allows us to see human differences as socially constructed, while reminding us that our common social essence is the basis for revolutionary politics and a genuine hope for equality.
It was a shame to see this book had barely any reviews. I hope more people give it a go !
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews