White Privilege: The Myth of a Post-Racial Society

Why and how do those from black and minority ethnic communities continue to be marginalised? Bhopal explores how neoliberal policy-making has increased discrimination faced by those from non-white backgrounds. She also shows how certain types of whiteness is privileged, for example Gypsies and Travellers, despite their identity of whiteness, remain disadvantaged in society. Drawing on topical debates around education, the labour market, class and poverty, and supported by empirical data and conceptual underpinning, this important book examines the impact of race on wider issues of inequality and difference in society.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown Introduction: race as disadvantage; White privilege; Not white enough; Intersectionality: gender, race and class; Race, schooling and exclusion; Higher education and representation; Racism and bullying in the UK; Racial inequalities in the labour market; Wealth, poverty and inequality; Conclusions: race, social justice and equality.

About the Author :
Kalwant Bhopal is Professor of Education and Social Justice and Director of the Centre for Research on Race and Education at the University of Birmingham. From 2019-20 she was visiting Professor at Harvard University at the Graduate School of Education and is currently visiting Professor at King's College London. Her areas of interest and expertise focus on the educational experiences of black and minority ethnic groups as well as Gypsies and Travellers. Her research specifically explores how processes of racism, exclusion and marginalisation operate in predominantly white spaces with a focus on social justice and inclusion.

Review :
“An excellent investigation into whiteness and white privilege in contemporary society.” American Sociological Association “In this book Bhopal effectively explodes the myth of ‘a post-racial society’ – that racism is no longer a problem – and robustly establishes the importance and urgency of addressing race and racism.” British Journal of Sociology of Education “…those from black and minority ethnic backgrounds are consistently disadvantaged... Bhopal connects this inequality to neoliberalism in ways I hadn’t considered before.” Make Wealth History "A lucid straightforward illumination of whiteness and white privilege, as it is currently acted-out in school and society, despite social justice policies. It puts before readers the pervasiveness and meanness of white privilege in education/schooling and society in this neoliberal, non-post-racial era. Timely and deserving of urgent attention." Carl A. Grant, Hoefs Bascom Professor University Wisconsin-Madison and author of Du Bois and Education. "This brave and powerful book speaks out passionately, but always in a well-evidenced and convincingly argued way, about the endemic racism that continues to blight UK and US societies. But it is also a hopeful, forward-looking book that engages constructively with the possibilities for change." Diane Reay, University of Cambridge "A laser-sharp account of a Britain in which racist anger is accepted political currency and Black lives have, once again, ceased to matter." Paul Warmington, Honorary Professor, University of Warwick "Bhopal returns to pitch her fearless rage at the global resurgence of white supremacy with razor-sharp scholarship and irrefutable evidence that racism is alive and living in a place near YOU." Heidi Safia Mirza, University College London "Many of the critical analyses of neoliberalism in education have neglected the ways in which neoliberalism as a theory and as a set of policies and practices is deeply connected to racialisation. In White Privilege, Kalwant Bhopal provides us with a clear and powerful analysis of these connections and of why they are so crucial to understand." Michael W. Apple, John Bascom Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison "More than ever, the study of whiteness proves indispensable. Kalwant Bhopal is a voice of reason in a cacophony of fervor. She takes to task the presumptions of post-raciality and defies its pretenders. We will be post-racial in a condition of post-racism. Until then, evidence and ethics are on her side." Zeus Leonardo, University of California, Berkeley, Author of Race Frameworks: A Multidimensional Theory of Racism and Education "A valuable insight into the complexities and subtleties of modern day racism, the intersection of race and class and the unfinished battle to transcend white hegemony." Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner “This is the definitive examination of ‘white privilege’, a term that was once restricted to academic debates, but is now the stuff of social media disinformation, anti-‘woke’ hatred and the international culture wars. In this exceptional book, Kalwant Bhopal unflinchingly examines white privilege as a material fact that influences where you live, your educational chances, and even your likelihood of a premature death. Updated to include the Covid pandemic and Black Lives Matter racial reckoning, this is a vital contribution.” David Gillborn, author of White Lies: Racism, Education and Critical Race Theory “An important contribution to understanding the reality of white privilege, and the need to challenge and overcome it.” Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner “In this updated edition, supported by extensive empirical work, white privilege is shown to have a multi-faceted impact on inequalities in contemporary societies. In our troubled times, this is a must-read for students, policy makers and activists.” John Preston, University of Essex “This is the definitive examination of ‘white privilege’, a term that was once restricted to academic debates, but is now the stuff of social media disinformation, anti-‘woke’ hatred and the international culture wars. In this exceptional book, Kalwant Bhopal unflinchingly examines white privilege as a material fact that influences where you live, your educational chances, and even your likelihood of a premature death. Updated to include the COVID pandemic and Black Lives Matter racial reckoning, this is a vital contribution.” David Gillborn, author of White Lies: Racism, Education and Critical Race Theory "Offers a crucial and timely focus on the perpetuation of white privilege in a society that claims to be post-racial, and the continuing disadvantages experienced by black and minority ethnic groups... provides a wealth of data on social, educational and economic inequalities in both the UK and USA where white supremacist hate is increasing. It should be read by policy makers, practitioners and the public to help them realise how white privilege works and disadvantage is perpetuated" Sally Tomlinson, University of Oxford "In this wide-ranging book Bhopal addresses racial inequality in Britain and the United States. She demonstrates how racial inequality is pervasive in British society across sectors, especially education and the labor market, an important perspective for scholars. A great introduction to issues of racial inequality." Natasha Kumar Warikoo, Harvard University, Graduate School of Education.