What Racists Believe

Race Relations in South Africa and the United States

In many democratic societies, racial inequality persists despite its legal abolition. At the point of entering a democratic era, South Africa is dismantling its legally structured system of inequality. However, the structures of consciousness that gave rise to, and nurtured a system of, white privilege and predominance are tenacious and enduring. In What Racists Believe, Gerhard Schutte examines a wide spectrum of evidence, showing how the in-group consciousness of whites is reproduced and illustrating the processes under which it is maintained. He explains how and why people believe in racial inequality and how they transmit these beliefs to others. The ideology of white solidarity, its perpetuation, and its breakdown is also analyzed. In the author's analysis, he separates different strands of racism: rural from urban, and moderate from militant. A final chapter compares racial attitudes in contemporary America and South America. Students, scholars, and anyone interested in race relations, sociology, anthropology, political science, and African studies will surely appreciate the fascinating study found in What Racists Believe.