Identity Politics and Structural Racism

Summary

Dr. Skulley defines identity politics, explains its tie to structural racism, and gives examples of where we can see structural racism today. In the video, she also provides resources for allies to better educate themselves on being anti-racist.

Video Transcript

Hi, I'm Carrie Skully and I teach in the politics department at Sewanee. My research focuses on the way that groups that have been historically excluded from government gain access to representation. And for my research, when I'm thinking about groups, I'm thinking about groups that are based around identity. And when we talk about identity in social sciences, we're typically thinking about facets that help to comprise one sense of self. So for instance, you may have a racial identity, an ethnic identity, a gender identity, class identity, et cetera. And so when we're thinking about how people's identities affect or influence their political preferences, behaviors, beliefs, et cetera, we're talking about identity politics. 

A separate, but related idea is the idea of intersectionality. Intersectionality occurs when two or more of your identities come together to create an experience for you that is different from other people's experiences. So for instance, a white man is going to have a different experience than a black woman. And that's the intersection of race and gender. 

You might be thinking, what does identity politics have to do with discussions about race in the United States? And why do we need to think about identity politics? Well, identity politics are the result of continued experiences of, and collective experiences of exclusion and marginalization. So people collectivize around identities when they feel that, that their identity puts them at threat, that their identity is causing them to be treated differently and worse than people with other identities. So people who have a particular racial identity might see that there are other people from their group who are being treated differently by the police or that are being disproportionately harmed by police brutality, for instance. 

So you might be thinking, well, I don't marginalize or treat people differently based on race or ethnicity or their gender or any other type of identity, so what does this have to do with me? Why should I care about identity politics and race in the United States? And a lot of people have that question, right? And the answer to that question is that although you might not consider yourself to be racist or that you might not consider yourself to be someone who treats people differently based off of some identity that they have, the reality is that you have benefited from and continue to benefit from institutions created by white people, particularly white men, for the benefit of other white people. This is called structural racism.

So structural racism occurs when institutions are created that preference or create an incentive for the types of behaviors that are associated with white people. And so we see most recently structural racism occurring with police brutality and criminal justice, but there's also structural racism in things like wages and pay, educational attainment, housing, the environment. It reaches across a wide spectrum of institutions and interactions in American society.

So although you might not perceive yourself to be actively treating people worse based off of their race or ethnicity, the reality is you are likely benefiting from structures that treat you better because you're white. So when we're thinking about structural racism, we also have to think about the ways in which intersectionality factors in, right. So we do see that there are race and class differences between policing in some communities and policing in other communities, for example. 

So what can you do? This is a great question and a great starting point. When we're thinking about racism in the United States, it's not enough to just say that you're not racist. And the reason for that is that saying that you're not racist is a neutral statement. It's not acknowledging the systems that I just described, the structural racism. So, saying that you're not racist is a good starting point, but it can't be your end point. You need to be anti-racist. And so what anti-racism is, is a belief and action together. Change can only come when we acknowledge the ways we individually benefit from systems that make life harder for other people. 

And so what you can do is first be willing to feel uncomfortable, bad, guilty, vulnerable, a lot of maybe negative or bad emotions as part of a learning process and becoming more informed about the ways in which you might be benefiting. In ways you didn't even know that you were benefiting from the purpose is not to make you feel terrible. The purpose is to help you become more informed and being more informed is really important because that's the first step toward action. 

So in terms of becoming more informed, I have a couple of recommendations. First, I recommend reading books about racism that are written by Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) groups. That's to say, I'm not recommending reading books about racism that are written by white people. And the reason for that is to gain a better understanding of what these groups are experiencing and their hopes, fears, and desires, you need to read it from people who have experienced it and continue to experience it. So to that end, I would recommend reading White Rage and How to Be Anti-Racist. The second thing I'd recommend is to take classes at Sewanee. We have a robust curriculum around race, ethnicity, immigration, gender, class, in the politics department and, I know, elsewhere. Take those classes and learn about these issues, learn about what these groups have experienced, what they continue to experience, and the ways in which you can make change at the individual level or at, you know, a governmental or policy level to help undo these systems of structural racism.

The third and final suggestion I have is to challenge yourself to speak up and call out racism. It can be really hard to talk about race and racism, especially with people that we love and care about, but it's essential that we don't just let it go. You have to call it out when you see it and talk to people about what they're saying and how they're wrong, or how they need to become more educated on the topic. There was a great book called, So You Want to Talk about Race that can help give you some of the tools to talk to people about racism in the United States. 

I'd also recommend a series of podcasts that you can listen to. If you want to think about these issues in maybe, like, a more granular way. You can think about listening to Code Switch. There's also a really wonderful podcast series from New York Times called 1619 that I think is another good place to start. And finally, you know, if you find that you really want to engage with this more fully, I strongly encourage you to reach out to your faculty. I'm happy to give you recommended books, documentaries, podcasts, et cetera to help you learn about these topics and to maybe feel more confident in your actions and your beliefs. So thanks for watching the video and again, reach out if you have any questions.