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Systemic Racism: A Theory of Oppression
In this book, Feagin develops a theory of systemic racism to interpret the highly racialized character and development of this society. Exploring the distinctive social worlds that have been created by racial oppression over nearly four centuries and what this has meant for the people of the United States, focusing his analysis on white-on-black oppression.
Drawing on the commentaries of black and white Americans in three historical eras; the slavery era, the legal segregation era, and then those of white Americans. Feagin examines how major institutions have been thoroughly pervaded by racial stereotypes, ideas, images, emotions, and practices. He theorizes that this system of racial oppression was not an accident of history, but was created intentionally by white Americans. While significant changes have occurred in this racist system over the centuries, key and fundamentally elements have been reproduced over nearly four centuries, and US institutions today imbed the racialized hierarchy created in the 17th century.
Today, as in the past, racial oppression is not just a surface-level feature of society, but rather it pervades, permeates, and interconnects all major social groups, networks, and institutions across society.
Drawing on the commentaries of black and white Americans in three historical eras; the slavery era, the legal segregation era, and then those of white Americans. Feagin examines how major institutions have been thoroughly pervaded by racial stereotypes, ideas, images, emotions, and practices. He theorizes that this system of racial oppression was not an accident of history, but was created intentionally by white Americans. While significant changes have occurred in this racist system over the centuries, key and fundamentally elements have been reproduced over nearly four centuries, and US institutions today imbed the racialized hierarchy created in the 17th century.
Today, as in the past, racial oppression is not just a surface-level feature of society, but rather it pervades, permeates, and interconnects all major social groups, networks, and institutions across society.
385 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
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About the author
Joe R. Feagin
74 books36 followersJoe R. Feagin is a U.S. sociologist and social theorist who has conducted extensive research on racial and gender issues, especially in regard to the United States. He is currently the Ella C. McFadden and Distinguished Professor at Texas A&M University. Feagin has taught at the University of Massachusetts (Boston), University of California (Riverside), University of Texas (Austin), University of Florida, and Texas A&M University.
Feagin has done much research work on race and ethnic relations and has served as the scholar in residence at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He has written over 60 books, one of which (Ghetto Revolts) was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. He is the 2006 recipient of a Harvard Alumni Association achievement award and was the 1999-2000 president of the American Sociological Association.
Feagin has done much research work on race and ethnic relations and has served as the scholar in residence at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He has written over 60 books, one of which (Ghetto Revolts) was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. He is the 2006 recipient of a Harvard Alumni Association achievement award and was the 1999-2000 president of the American Sociological Association.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 10, 2012
I like what Feagin is trying to do in this book (or, at least what I think he is trying to do in this book). However, I wasn't impressed with the actual book itself. In Systemic Racism, Feagin attempts to synthesize the structural, ideological, and cognitive explanations of the continuation of white supremacy in America. He tries to offer an overarching theoretical account of the three explanations, which he calls the systemic racism account. Once he describes what this account entails, her turns to surveys, interviews, and journals for three phases of American racism (slavery, legal segregation, and contemporary racism). He rightly points out that there are important and substantial similarities in outcomes for whites and blacks across these three eras. He also rightly wants to keep whites on the hook for perpetuating racist outcomes in America.
However, there are a number of problems with this book. First, is that nothing that is being said here isn't said better already somewhere else. His explanations of structural racism and ideologies of race are weak, and as such the book gets off to a weak start. Lipsitz's Possessive Investment in Whiteness/How Racism Takes Place would be better for structural accounts. Second, the analysis of whites and blacks' views on the effects of racism in America has little connection to the structural and ideological arguments in the book. They are all personal anecdotes with no reference to common themes among responses. I an sure there probably were common themes and experiences in respondents answers, and Feagin should have teased those out to be compatible with the structural/ideological aspects of his argument. Bonilla-Silva does a wonderful job of this in his Racism without Racists. Third, his account of whites is monolithic. All whites are the same and all of their racial attitudes are white supremacist. While I agree that all whites have internalized white supremacist ideology, I also believe that whites have internalized egalitarian beliefs. Whites harbor contradictory beliefs about race and racism and it's those contradictions that are interesting to me. Feagin dismisses the contradictions as whites engaging in socially desirable responding to hide their "real" beliefs on race. Finally, Feagin would do well to read Marable's The Great Wells of Democracy for an example of the kind of writing that can enlighten white young people encountering these ideas for the first time and create the space for them to become active agents in the quest for racial justice. Feagin writes for people who agree with him. I happen to be a person who agrees with a lot of what he says, but as someone looking for texts on race to teach, I found myself thinking about how alienating his work could be to some students. There is no reason that we cannot hold white people accountable for perpetuating racial injustice, and simultaneously recognize the tiny minority of whites engaged in social justice work. To inspire white students to take up this cause, we have to say that the cause is not already doomed from the outset. We have to say that "yes, for the vast majority of our history and population, white supremacy is the name of the game. However, there are other ways of being. We have these examples. What kind of white person do you want to be?" If he had done a more thorough job of explaining the structural and ideological aspects, if he had not painted the picture of all whites as necessarily and unconflictingly white supremacist, he could have created the opportunity for critical reflection and the adoption of an anti-racist white identity. One shouldn't coddle white people or deny their culpability in white supremacy--however, one must create the space for a rejection of white supremacy if one wants young people to take up social justice work. I felt like Feagin failed in this respect.
However, there are a number of problems with this book. First, is that nothing that is being said here isn't said better already somewhere else. His explanations of structural racism and ideologies of race are weak, and as such the book gets off to a weak start. Lipsitz's Possessive Investment in Whiteness/How Racism Takes Place would be better for structural accounts. Second, the analysis of whites and blacks' views on the effects of racism in America has little connection to the structural and ideological arguments in the book. They are all personal anecdotes with no reference to common themes among responses. I an sure there probably were common themes and experiences in respondents answers, and Feagin should have teased those out to be compatible with the structural/ideological aspects of his argument. Bonilla-Silva does a wonderful job of this in his Racism without Racists. Third, his account of whites is monolithic. All whites are the same and all of their racial attitudes are white supremacist. While I agree that all whites have internalized white supremacist ideology, I also believe that whites have internalized egalitarian beliefs. Whites harbor contradictory beliefs about race and racism and it's those contradictions that are interesting to me. Feagin dismisses the contradictions as whites engaging in socially desirable responding to hide their "real" beliefs on race. Finally, Feagin would do well to read Marable's The Great Wells of Democracy for an example of the kind of writing that can enlighten white young people encountering these ideas for the first time and create the space for them to become active agents in the quest for racial justice. Feagin writes for people who agree with him. I happen to be a person who agrees with a lot of what he says, but as someone looking for texts on race to teach, I found myself thinking about how alienating his work could be to some students. There is no reason that we cannot hold white people accountable for perpetuating racial injustice, and simultaneously recognize the tiny minority of whites engaged in social justice work. To inspire white students to take up this cause, we have to say that the cause is not already doomed from the outset. We have to say that "yes, for the vast majority of our history and population, white supremacy is the name of the game. However, there are other ways of being. We have these examples. What kind of white person do you want to be?" If he had done a more thorough job of explaining the structural and ideological aspects, if he had not painted the picture of all whites as necessarily and unconflictingly white supremacist, he could have created the opportunity for critical reflection and the adoption of an anti-racist white identity. One shouldn't coddle white people or deny their culpability in white supremacy--however, one must create the space for a rejection of white supremacy if one wants young people to take up social justice work. I felt like Feagin failed in this respect.
December 22, 2021
Hard to say something positive about this book, but the compiled quotes from important American statesmen was of interest.
This book is monotone, extremely one-sided, full of anecdotes. Hardly a science book. I hear this is assigned as university required reading in some fields. No surprise there. Sociology at its worst.
This book is monotone, extremely one-sided, full of anecdotes. Hardly a science book. I hear this is assigned as university required reading in some fields. No surprise there. Sociology at its worst.
September 21, 2023
racism = bad
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews