The crux of the matter is that race, although it has no scientific ‘objective’ existence, has remained a central way we understand the world since its introduction into our vocabularies. Why, therefore, has race remained so powerful as a way of interpreting the world? Why does race continue to have such a strong impact upon the way one lives one’s life? Why does race continue to so strongly affect one’s life chances in the labour market, education system, and access to cultural resources? This module seeks to shed some more light on these questions, answering that an analysis of racism is necessary to understand the lingering, immutable effects of race.
In particular, this module focuses on the development of racism in the United Kingdom, and how various sociologists have understood this development. We start with the rise of colonialism and British Empire and how the very concept of ‘race’ was constructed and used as a means for excluding particular people. We then move into a discussion of how this exclusion continued into the 20th century through the practices of overt exclusion and violent acts of racism. This also invites us to consider how racism often overlaps with xenophobic sentiments – in other words, hostility towards immigrants. We then move into what many consider the ‘post-racial’ era, where state policies seem to provide equal access to all, and racism is seen to no longer be a problem. A sociological analysis of this period shows how racism continued, but just in more covert ways. We then finish with a contemporary case study – an instance of the ‘applied sociology’ of race and racism – particularly looking at the 2016 EU referendum vote for Brexit. Taking the claims that Britain became more racist after the referendum result, this activity argues instead that Brexit was the outcome of racist structures in Britain that had been around for a very long time.
The principle aim of this module is to encourage critical thought around the concepts of race and racism. We encounter some seminal authors from Du Bois, through to Robert Miles, Pierre Bourdieu, and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva. Through discussion of the development of racism, it is intended that the value of sociology in this area is displayed. Sociology, rather than politics, psychology, history, and economics, can allow us to see how the concepts of ‘race’ and ‘racism’ are central to social life and social processes, even when they aren’t explicitly mentioned. Sociology also shows, as this module explores, how race and racism have been so durable because – at the end of the day – they serve particular social functions and interests, and society could not do without them.
