| The elections of Barack Obama for U.S. President led some to suggest that not only has U.S. society made significant strides toward racial equality, but it has moved beyond race or become ',post-racial.' In fact, studies have exposed numerous contradictions between the ways white Americans answer questions on surveys and how they respond to similar questions during in-depth interviews. How do we make sense of these contradictions? In this book, the author examines the numerous contradictions sixty-one white college students exhibit as they discuss a variety of race matters. The findings demonstrate that the whites interviewed possess a sophisticated method of communication to come across as ambivalent, tolerant, and innocent, while simultaneously expressing their intolerance, fear, and suspicion of nonwhite Americans. Whether intended or not, this ambivalence assists in efforts to preserve social inequities and address racial injustices. This study exposes an important way in which racism is reproduced in U.S. society. |
