Seeing White

Book excerpt: Seeing White: An Introduction to White Privilege and Race, Second Editionis an interdisciplinary, supplemental textbook that challenges undergraduate students to see race as everyone’s issue. The book’s early chapters establish a solid understanding of privilege and power, leading to a critical exploration of discrimination. The authors also draw upon key theoretical perspectives, such as cultural materialism, critical race theory, and the social construction of race to provide students with the tools to discuss racial privilege. The book’s interdisciplinary approach, including perspectives from sociology, psychology, history, and economics provides a holistic and accessible introduction to the challenging issue of race. Throughout the book, compelling, concrete examples and detailed definitions of terminology help students to understand theoretical perspectives and research evidence. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter encourage students to think critically about the theories and evidence, often prompting students to relate the material in the text to their own experiences. New to this Edition New Chapter 4, “White Supremacy and Other Forms of Everyday Racism,” provides a history of white supremacy and its links to racism today New research on racial disparities in health equity helps debunk the idea of race as a biological category (Chapter 2) Revised Chapter 6, “Socioeconomic Class and White Privilege,” offers new material on the economic privilege of whiteness and the uneven distribution of American wealth Expanded history and discussion of Immigration laws including Chinese Exclusion Act, Immigration Act of 1924 and 1965 Hart-Celler Act present immigration in a global context and challenge anti-immigration rhetoric New as well as updated stories on exclusion from white spaces and the normativity of white culture engage students in critical reflection