Shifting Meanings of Race and Racism

Abstract

In Racism and Society we have explored what we see as some of the key features of contemporary academic and political debates about racism in the changing social and global environment in which we live. It is appropriate that for a series such as this one we have attempted to cover both ongoing theoretical debates as well as political and policy dilemmas. We have also chosen to cover a broad canvas and this has necessitated that we develop an analytical framework for the analysis of the changing forms of racism that goes beyond the narrow confines of much current sociological writing on this topic. In doing so we hope we have been able to show that there is a need to broaden our horizons somewhat if we are to provide an understanding of contemporary racisms that helps us to understand what is after all a complex phenomenon, and one that cannot be tackled simply through a narrow analytical or disciplinary framework. It is for this reason that we have not attempted to stay within the rather narrow confines of current intellectual fashions and focus instead on a set of issues and questions that will hopefully lead to more substantive research in the future.