Theorizing Beliefs about Racial Inequality

• In Event: 1284 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 16. Theories of Race/Ethnicity

Abstract

Racial inequality is an enduring feature of American life, and social scientists expend great energy documenting racial disparities and their causes. Research focusing on what individuals believe about racial inequality, however, has been less comprehensive. Despite the clear relevance of beliefs about racial inequality to understandings of race and racism more generally, our attempts to understand what people believe about racial inequality have been sporadic and unsystematic, resulting in under-conceptualization of these beliefs. I propose a conceptual framework for understanding individuals’ beliefs about racial inequality with three components. The first component is conceptualization of racial inequality – what do people believe racial inequality entails? This includes the indicators that individuals use to define racial inequality. The second component is perceptual dimensions of racial inequality, which includes beliefs about who is involved in racial inequality (involved groups), when racial inequality exists (temporality), and where racial inequality is present (geography). The third component is explanations for racial inequality, which includes beliefs about why and how racial inequality is created and maintained. I argue that this framework moves us beyond studying isolated beliefs to thinking about a set of interconnected beliefs about racial inequality that shape and affect one another. It provides analytical clarity that can open new lines of inquiry as well as reveal gaps in our current knowledge of how people think about racial inequality. These benefits will result in new insights into how individuals perceive and interpret racial disparities as well as inform other research areas related to race and racial attitudes.

Author

• Kiara Douds, New York University