Racial identities
the degradation of human constructions
pp. 61-84
in: Suke Wolton (ed), Marxism, mysticism and modern theory, Berlin, Springer, 1996Abstract
Race has been one of the most important and strategic concepts of the twentieth century. Only 60 years ago, it was seen as common sense to suppose that humanity was made up of naturally discrete groups of people. Today, the idea of a racial hierarchy has been generally discredited. The overt differential treatment of groups on the grounds of their skin colour is now as politically unacceptable as a politician swearing in public. This is not to say that it does not happen, it is just that very few people would admit to it. Today there appears to be more of a consensus than ever before that "race' is something that exists primarily in the mind. This chapter is a critical look at how the unreality of race is argued and what consequences this has for a humanist challenge to the ideology of race.