The Invention of the White Race, Volume 1: Racial Oppression and Social Control

by Theodore W. Allen

Book Overview

This work argues that before the 18th century there was neither a white nor any other colour-determined race in North America. Ted Allen traces the history of plantations and slavery to demonstrate... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1844677699
• ISBN13: 9781844677696
• Release Date: November 2012
• Publisher: Verso
• Length: 372 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.9" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Incredible work!

This is the work of a true People's Scholar. If you ever want to learn about the unspoken, unmentionable power structure of the US and its role in creating the concept of Whiteness and therefore Blackness, you must read this book. Every page is a delight!

Excellent historiography and history of american racism

Allen begins volume 1 by reviewing the many histories of American racism written in the 20th century. Dividing the arguments into the psycho-cultural school and the socio-economic school of thought, he teases out the strengths and flaws of their scholarship. Allen then posits racial oppression as a deliberate ruling-class decision (constantly undergoing renewal) to prevent property-less European Americans from allying themselves with enslaved and free African Americans by offering the European Americans privileges based on white skin. His solution is to study "racism" rather than "race" because studies of race always devolve onto discussions of the body--onto those who are perceived to possess race--and thus avoids the real issue. That issue is the institutionalization of racism, how it functions systemically. He argues that race(ism) should be treated like any other oppression such as those oppressions practiced on people of a certain class or gender. It is a strong, well researched, tightly argued work. He proves that the "white race" can be "gotten on a technicality" because it was and is indeed an invented rather than a natural category.

A mind expanding read!

gee, we don't have any common interests after all.European Descendan