Race as injustice and the im/possibility of racial justice

Abstract

This review essay presents exposition and analysis of Nasar Meer’s, The Cruel Optimism of Racial Justice. I outline Meer’s argument detailing the historical emergence and ongoing social reproduction of racial injustice in relation to nation formation, endemic racism, health inequalities, restrictions on refugees and asylum, and White supremacism as pervasive throughout western societies. I suggest that Meer’s intervention usefully highlights racial injustice as normalised instead of exceptional and also raises the importance of white people divesting their racial privilege. Analytically, I argue that Meer’s book productively opens up a space to reflect on the efficacy of race as a normative category, both intrinsically and in relation to anti/racism. Furthermore, by demonstrating the inherent inequality of race, the book invites the reader to reflect on the coherence of a racialised ideal of justice.