The Science of Racism: Everything You Need to Know But Probably Don't--Yet

In this frank, funny, and meticulous book, a leading social scientist lays out the striking facts we know about racism, how we have uncovered them, and how we can start to fix them. "A timely antidote to a set of beliefs that are on track to becoming conventional wisdom in the U.S.” (Fast Company)

Studies and surveys show, time and again, that about 50 percent of people believe that racism is no longer an issue today. The other half would disagree―vehemently.

And much of the writing on the subject of race and racism is equally divisive, in large part because so much of it is based on opinion and personal experience. It’s not grounded in empiricism. It’s not science.

In The Science of Racism, social psychologist Keon West corrects that idea, moving this urgent conversation beyond anecdote and polemic in search of conclusive answers and solutions.

Starting with a fascinating look at experiments around race in hiring, Dr. West brilliantly and methodically walks readers through our comprehensive understanding of this controversial topic. He looks at how racism impacts every stage and all facets of life, from birth to death, in education, work and business, friendships and relationships, police and the justice system, and healthcare.

He also looks at the challenges around studying these questions and the ways we can uncover the truth, and then where we go from here: why unconscious bias training can actually make things worse, and what systems and techniques can lead us to a more equitable future.

Professor Keon West is a social psychologist at the University of London and a visiting professor at the London School of Economics. He earned his doctorate from Oxford University in 2010 as a Rhodes Scholar and has since published more than seventy quantitative papers on prejudice and discrimination in many of the best peer-reviewed social-psychology journals, including Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, The Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, and Perspectives on Psychological Science. Professor West has written for national and international newspapers and been the host of numerous radio and television shows on the topics of prejudice and discrimination. He is a citizen of three countries and has, over his life, been a resident of four. He is a husband, a father of two boys, a hobby photographer, and a huge fan of Star Trek. He has always been Black.