Two-Faced Racism

by Leslie Picca, Joe Feagin

Two-Faced Racism examines and explains the racial attitudes and behaviours exhibited by whites in private settings. While there are many books that deal with public attitudes, behaviours, and incidences concerning race and racism (frontstage), there are few studies on the attitudes whites display among friends, family, and other whites in private settings (backstage). The core of this book draws upon 626 journals of racial events kept by white college students at twenty-eight colleges in the United States. The book seeks to comprehend how whites think in racial terms by analyzing their reported racial events.

Genres: Race, Nonfiction, Sociology, Social Justice, Academic

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Elizabeth Gabhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book describes excellent, enlightening research on race in America. A must-read!

[Kaia · Rating 4 out of 5]

For UWEC Faculty Winterim book group.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good primer for people new to the topic of race/ racism in its myriad settings, but the book tends to reiterate its point a bit too much. The student journal samples are fadcinating and enfuriating. As a white male, I find it embarrassing, the level of racism that becomes justified by people when in their backstage "safe" space. I simply would not spend one second hanging out with any of the people saying these things, and I'm surprised that any of the students do.

Is there hope for us, in recognizing that white women speak up, but white men don't? If white men do speak up, are they highlighting their white male privilege by dominating a conversation? How do we deconstruct the stages in order to have a more equitable social space? At the very least, this book has left me with a lot of good questions.

[Melissa McDonald]

EM Two-Faced Racism /EM examines and explains the racial attitudes and behaviours exhibited by whites in private settings. While there are many books that deal with public attitudes, behaviours, and incidences concerning race and racism (frontstage), there are few studies on the attitudes whites display among friends, family, and other whites in private settings (backstage). The core of this book draws upon 626 journals of racial events kept by white college students at twenty-eight colleges in the United States. The book seeks to comprehend how whites think in racial terms by analyzing their reported racial events.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a White male, none of the racist journal entries from these White college students surprised me. however, the book does put them in a useful context of "performance" to understand he ways in which White people use langauge to continue the racist context underlying American society.

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's fair and objective in its study and conclusions drawn from the evidence about racism. And the evidence they gathered is pretty persuasive. The book is the presentation of a sociological(?) study with good discussion.