anders deutsch

In critical discourse it is absolutely clear that 'race' is no natural category. It is socially constructed in order to secure the hegemonial power of those who consider themselves 'white'. It is also clear that while 'race' does not exist, racism does exist and has real consequences for those marked in racist discourses. Thus one has to deal with the constructions of 'race' and the racialisation of people.


Having German as a my first language, a language in which the equivalent of 'race' is tabooed, I am always very much irritated that English speakers without hesitation use the term 'race' and 'racial' (and it seems without the inverted commas). Even at critical conferences like Borderpolitics of Whiteness.

I had some discussions there about this. One guy seemed to equate 'race' and 'culture' but could not explain to me, why he then uses the racist term 'race' and not culture. Another woman agreed with my irritation and said it was probably a matter of laziness.

My question is: Why use a term which is founded in racist discourses and when used raises the association of biological differences of people? Why not stop speaking of 'race' and 'racial' and instead focus on racialisation and racist marking of people?