BACK STORY:
Racial Formation Theory
Michael Omi and Howard Winant,” Racial Formation in the United States From the 1960s to the 1990s. Second Edition. New York: Routledge, 1994.
“We define racial formation as the socio-historical process by which racial categories are created, inhabited, transformed, and destroyed. Our attempt to elaborate a theory of racial formation will proceed in two steps. First, we argue that racial formation is a process of historically situated projects in which human bodies and social structures are represented and organized. Next we link racial formation to the evolution of hegemony, the way in which society is organized and ruled. Such an approach, we believe, can facilitate understanding of a whole range of contemporary controversies and dilemmas involving race, including the nature of racism, the relationship of race to other forms of differences, inequalities, and oppression such as sexism and nationalism, and the dilemmas of racial identity today.” (Omi and Winant, Chapter 4, page 56)
In other words:
(1) Racial formation is the process by which the racial worldview is transmitted. (2) Racial formation is the process by which our understanding of human bodies and social structures are represented and organized. (3) Racial formation analyzes historically situated racial projects. (4) Racial formation is linked to power and how it is used to organize society. (5) Racial formation facilitates our understanding of racism that emphasizes power and social organization rather than individual prejudice and bigotry.
(1) Since Smedley gives us a more expansive definition of race (not just “racial categories” but our beliefs about what those categories mean), racial formation can be described as the way the entire racial worldview is transmitted.
(2) The historical origins of race show us how human bodies and social structures are represented and organized.
(3) In order to see how the racial worldview is being transmitted we examine specifically defined historical events or social processes.
(4) Examining racial projects shows how individuals influence institutions and how those institutions wield power in order to communicate the racial worldview.
(5) Once we focus on institutional processes we can redefined racism as structural rather than the product of individual malice.
Racial Projects:
“An alternative approach is to think of racial formation processes as occurring through a linkage between structure and representation. Racial projects do the ideological “work” of making these links. A racial project is simultaneously an interpretation, representation, or explanation of racial dynamics, and an effort to reorganize and redistribute resources along particular racial lines. Racial projects connect what race means in a particular discursive practice and the ways in which both social structures and everyday experiences are racially organized, based upon that meaning.” (56)
In other words:
Racial projects link individuals (and how they are categorized or perceived) and institutions. Racial projects interpret, represent, explain or in some other way communicates the racial worldview. Racial projects are examples of how power redistributes resources along racial lines. Racial projects connect what race means (i.e. racial ideologies) with how race functions (i.e. how the racial worldview is disseminated).
Racism
“A racial project can be defined as racist if and only if it creates or reproduces structures of domination based on essentialist categories of race. Such a definition recognizes the importance of locating racism within a fluid and contested history of racially based social structures and discourses. Thus there can be no timeless and absolute standard for what constitutes racism, for social structures change and discourses are subject to re-articulation.” (71)
In other words
Racism describes racial projects that create or reproduce structures of domination based on an understanding of race that presumes race is essential to human biology, not socially constructed. Racism has to be defined historically and institutionally based on an analysis of specific historical events.
Racial Formation Theory
“We define racial formation as the socio-historical process by which racial categories are created, inhabited, transformed, and destroyed. Our attempt to elaborate a theory of racial formation will proceed in two steps. First, we argue that racial formation is a process of historically situated projects in which human bodies and social structures are represented and organized. Next we link racial formation to the evolution of hegemony, the way in which society is organized and ruled. Such an approach, we believe, can facilitate understanding of a whole range of contemporary controversies and dilemmas involving race, including the nature of racism, the relationship of race to other forms of differences, inequalities, and oppression such as sexism and nationalism, and the dilemmas of racial identity today.” (Omi and Winant, Chapter 4, page 56)
In other words:
(1) Racial formation is the process by which the racial worldview is transmitted. (2) Racial formation is the process by which our understanding of human bodies and social structures are represented and organized. (3) Racial formation analyzes historically situated racial projects. (4) Racial formation is linked to power and how it is used to organize society. (5) Racial formation facilitates our understanding of racism that emphasizes power and social organization rather than individual prejudice and bigotry.
(1) Since Smedley gives us a more expansive definition of race (not just “racial categories” but our beliefs about what those categories mean), racial formation can be described as the way the entire racial worldview is transmitted.
(2) The historical origins of race show us how human bodies and social structures are represented and organized.
(3) In order to see how the racial worldview is being transmitted we examine specifically defined historical events or social processes.
(4) Examining racial projects shows how individuals influence institutions and how those institutions wield power in order to communicate the racial worldview.
(5) Once we focus on institutional processes we can redefined racism as structural rather than the product of individual malice.
Racial Projects:
“An alternative approach is to think of racial formation processes as occurring through a linkage between structure and representation. Racial projects do the ideological “work” of making these links. A racial project is simultaneously an interpretation, representation, or explanation of racial dynamics, and an effort to reorganize and redistribute resources along particular racial lines. Racial projects connect what race means in a particular discursive practice and the ways in which both social structures and everyday experiences are racially organized, based upon that meaning.” (56)
In other words:
Racial projects link individuals (and how they are categorized or perceived) and institutions. Racial projects interpret, represent, explain or in some other way communicates the racial worldview. Racial projects are examples of how power redistributes resources along racial lines. Racial projects connect what race means (i.e. racial ideologies) with how race functions (i.e. how the racial worldview is disseminated).
Racism
“A racial project can be defined as racist if and only if it creates or reproduces structures of domination based on essentialist categories of race. Such a definition recognizes the importance of locating racism within a fluid and contested history of racially based social structures and discourses. Thus there can be no timeless and absolute standard for what constitutes racism, for social structures change and discourses are subject to re-articulation.” (71)
In other words
Racism describes racial projects that create or reproduce structures of domination based on an understanding of race that presumes race is essential to human biology, not socially constructed. Racism has to be defined historically and institutionally based on an analysis of specific historical events.
