What is Racism?
Racists are people who believe that innate, inherited characteristics biologically determine human behavior.
The doctrine of racism asserts that blood determines national-ethnic identity. Within a racist framework, the value of a human being is not determined by his or her individuality, but instead by membership in a so-called "racial collective nation."
Racism, including racial antisemitism (prejudice against or hatred of Jews based on false biological theories), was always an integral part of German National Socialism (Nazism).
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (2020, May 1). Nazi Racism: An Overview. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nazi-racism-an-overview
American Cartoon Responding to Racism and the Refugee Crisis
Cartoon depicting the United States' response to the refugee crisis in Europe, as well as the racism and discrimination African Americans faced at home. The Pittsburgh Courier, April 16, 1938. Page 10.
Domestic concerns in the United States, including unemployment and national security, combined with prevalent antisemitism and racism, shaped America's immigration policies, responses to Nazism, and willingness to aid European Jews. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Discussion Question
Despite overwhelming scientific data to the contrary, many people still believe in the superiority of certain races. Why might individuals hold onto a belief that has been discredited?
Further Research
Other resources may be found in the Wright State University Libraries' Catalog and databases.
Choose "View Entire Collection" or "Dunbar Library - Books" from the drop-down box near the Search button.
Islamophobia and Racism in America by Call Number: E184.M88 L68 2017ISBN: 9781479804924Publication Date: 2017-05-23Erik Love draws on in-depth interviews with Middle Eastern American advocates. He shows that, rather than using a well-worn civil rights strategy to advance reforms to protect a community affected by racism, many advocates are choosing to bolster universal civil liberties in the United States more generally, believing that these universal protections are reliable and strong enough to deal with social prejudice. As America becomes a "majority-minority" nation, this strategic shift in American civil rights advocacy signifies challenges in the decades ahead, making Love's findings essential for anyone interested in the future of universal civil rights in the United States.
The Habits of Racism by Call Number: HT1521 .N396 2017ISBN: 9781498534642Publication Date: 2017-08-16The Habits of Racism examines some of the complex questions raised by the phenomenon and experience of racism. Helen Ngo draws on the resources of Merleau-Ponty to show how the conceptual reworking of habit as bodily orientation helps to identify the subtle but more fundamental workings of racism--to catch its insidious, gestural expressions, as well as its habitual modes of racialized perception. Racism, as Ngo argues, is equally expressed through bodily habits, which, once reformulated, raises important ethical questions regarding the responsibility for one’s racist habits. — Publisher description
Confronting Racism in Teacher Education by Call Number: LB1715 .C66 2017ISBN: 9781138653849Publication Date: 2017-03-24Written for teacher educators, higher education administrators, policymakers, and others concerned with issues of race, the book is comprised of four parts that each represent a distinct perspective on the struggle for racial justice: contributors reflect on their experiences working as educators of, color to transform the culture of predominately, white institutions, navigating the challenges of whiteness within teacher education, building transformational bridges within classrooms, and training current and in-service teachers through concrete models of racial justice. By bringing together these often individualized experiences, larger patterns are revealed that emerge of institutional racism in teacher education, and the strategies that can inspire resistance. — Publisher description
