Theories of Race and Racism: A Reader

Theories of Race and Racism: A Reader provides an overview of historical and contemporary debates in this vital and ever-evolving field of scholarship and research. Combining contributions from seminal thinkers, leading scholars and emergent voices, this reader provides a critical reflection on key trends and developments in the field.

The contributions to this reader provide an overview of key areas of scholarship and research on questions of race and racism. It provides a novel perspective by bringing together readings on the key theoretical and historical processes in this area, the development of diverse theoretical viewpoints, the analysis of antisemitism, the role of colonialism and postcolonialism, feminist perspectives on race and the articulation of new accounts of the contemporary conjuncture. The contributions to this reader include classic works by the likes of W.E.B. DuBois, Stuart Hall and Frantz Fanon as well as timely pieces by contemporary scholars including Orlando Patterson, Patricia Hill Collins and Paul Gilroy.

By bringing together a broad range of diverse accounts, Theories of Race and Racism: A Reader engages with various key areas of interest and is an invaluable guide for students and instructors seeking to explore issues of race and racism.

Les Back is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Centre for Urban and Community Research (CUCR) at Goldsmiths, University of London, UK. He has researched and written on urban culture, ethnicity, migration, cultural politics, music and higher education. His most recent books include Migrant City (co-authored with Shamser Sinha, Routledge, 2018) and Academic Diary: Or Why Higher Education Still Matters (Goldsmiths Press, 2016). He writes journalism, has made documentary films and currently presents a podcast series on contemporary city life called Streetsigns for CUCR in London.

John Solomos is Professor of Sociology at the University of Warwick, UK. He has researched and written widely on the history and contemporary forms of race and ethnic relations in Britain, theories of race and racism, the politics of race, equal opportunity policies, multiculturalism and social policy, race and football and racist movements and ideas. His most recent books are Race, Ethnicity and Social Theory (Routledge, 2022) and Race and Racism in Britain 4th Edition (2022). His most recent edited books are An Introduction to Sociology (co-edited with Karim Murji and Sarah Neal, SAGE, 2022) and Routledge International Handbook of Contemporary Racisms (Routledge, 2020). He is also Editor-in-Chief of the Ethnic and Racial Studies journal, co-editor of the Racism, Resistance and Social Change book series (Manchester University Press) and General Editor of the online The Routledge Encyclopaedia of Race and Racism series.