The study of white ethnicities is becoming increasingly important in the social sciences. This book provides a critical introduction to the topic. Whiteness has traditionally been seen as "ethnically transparent" - the marker against which other ethnicities are measured. This analysis is clearly incorrect, but only recently have many race and ethnicity scholars moved away from focusing on ethnic minorities and instead oriented their studies around the construction of white identities. Simon Clarke and Steve Garner's book is designed to guide students as they explore how white identities are forged using both sociological and psycho-social ideas. Including an excellent survey of the existing literature and original research from the UK, this book will be an invaluable guide for sociology students taking modules in race and ethnicity.
Simon Clarke is Director of the Centre for Psycho-Social Studies at the University of the West of England. He is author of several books including Social Theory, Psychoanalysis and Racism (Macmillan, 2003), White Identities (Pluto, 2009) and From Enlightenment to Risk (Macmillan, 2005). He is editor of the journal Psychoanalysis, Culture and Society.
Steve Garner is Lecturer in Sociology at Aston University. Throughout his academic career he has been engaged with questions such as 'What does 'race' mean?', 'How does racism work?', and 'How can racial equality be achieved?' He is the author of Racism in the Irish Experience (Pluto, 2003), Whiteness (Routledge, 2007) and Racisms (Sage, 2009).