Impacts of Racism on White Americans In the Age of Trump

In this third iteration of the classic work The Impacts of Racism on White Americans (1981, 1996), a new generation of scholars make the case that racism often negatively affects Whites themselves, especially during the Trump era. In 1981, Impacts introduced an alternative understanding of racism, arguing that it went beyond white-black and/or inter-race relations. Instead, the book proposed that the problem of race in the U.S. is fundamentally one of white identity and culture and that racism has substantial negative effects on White Americans. This volume advances these propositions through three key areas: (1) Trump-era cultural and institutional racism, bolstered by the use of historical notions of racial hierarchy; (2) institutional and interpersonal racism, which in turn drive individual racist behaviors; and finally, (3) racism’s interactional sequences and how they impact anti-racism efforts. As each chapter author explores an iteration of these racisms, they also explore how racist attitudes produce disadvantage among White Americans. 

“Impacts of Racism on White Americans in the Age of Trump is an essential book for helping us respond to the resurgence of overt racism in the past decade while not neglecting the tenacious roots of white supremacy that have shaped U.S. politics, economics, and culture for centuries. Editors Duke Austin and Benjamin Bowser have assembled an exciting range of contributors to make the case not only for a principled rejection of white supremacy but also for anti-racist actions by whites out of our own self-interest. The book is organized and edited to be useful in the classroom, presenting rigorously argued scholarship that is accessible to all. These astute writers make a compelling case to those of us who are white: We can hold onto whiteness or we can struggle to live richer and more meaningful lives that are rooted in critical self-reflection and a deeper understanding of our own interests. Bowser and Austin have given white people a gift, which I hope everyone will accept andread with the commitment necessary to transcend white supremacy.”

—Robert Jensen, Emeritus Professor, School of Journalism and Media, University of Texas at Austin; author of The End of Patriarchy: Radical Feminism for Men (2017) and The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism and White Privilege (2005)

 

“In this timely and important collection of essays, editors Austin and Bowser brilliantly point out the unintended consequences of systemic racism. The volume effectively illustrates the ways in which white racists often work against their own interests, and why. Appearing at the end of the so-called Trump era, this collection also offers hope that the fight against systemic racism is not a lost cause. Informative, timely, and well-edited, this is a work of importance, a must-read.”

—Elijah Anderson, Sterling Professor, Yale University, and author of Black in White Space: The Enduring Impact of Color in Everyday Life (2021)

 

“This book presents comprehensive and authoritative evidence of the ways in which racism and the racial hierarchy associated with it harms white Americans.  The harm to white people occurs in many realms including economics, housing, health, politics, education, and even sports and foreign policy. The material in this book shows that the struggle against racism has a material as well as a moral foundation.  The editors provide valuable suggestions about how practical struggles against racism, cognizant of the harm it does to white people, might proceed.”

—Tom Mayer, Professor Emeritus, Department of Sociology, University of Colorado at Boulder

Duke W. Austin is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Department Chair at California State University, East Bay. His teaching and research focus on race, gender, immigration, environmental justice, community engagement, and social justice pedagogy. He is a co-editor of the volume Bringing Fieldwork Back In (2012).

Benjamin P. Bowser is an Emeritus Professor of Sociology at California State University, East Bay. A sociologist specializing in research methods and public health who focuses on African American communities and evaluations research, his most recent books are Racial Inequality in New York City Since 1965 (2019) and The Abandoned Mission in Public Higher Education: The Case of the California State University (2017).