Everyone has an opinion on racism. The vast majority of people would vehemently deny that they
or those close to them are racist yet many of the most common understandings of racism are
highly problematic. If you mean no harm then it can't be racist. Yes it can. There are
anti-discrimination laws now so racism no longer occurs. Incorrect. Some of my best friends
are Black so I can't be racist. Not true. In this sharp open-minded and witty book
sociologist Jennifer Patrice Sims succinctly addresses these problematic perceptions of racism
as fallacies. Building on existing academic theories and drawing on her own cross-national
research two decades of teaching and analyses of contemporary issues she delves into the
most common and insidious fallacies about racism. In revealing them to be rooted in what
scholars call an epistemology of ignorance she shows how these perceptions justify and uphold
white supremacy (inadvertently or otherwise). Accessibly written and full of concrete examples
this book will be of great value to anyone who wants to understand the common misunderstandings
about racism that frustrate contemporary politics classrooms workplaces and dinner tables.
