The Cruel Optimism of Racial Justice

What can we learn from successes and failures in the pursuit of racial justice in the UK and elsewhere in the Global North? A dominant view of racial justice has long been linked to a 'cruel optimism' which normalises social and political outcomes that sustain racial injustice, despite successive governments wielding the means to address it. Researchers, activists and minoritised groups continually identify the drivers of these outcomes, but have grown accustomed to persevering despite strong resistance to change. Looking at numerous examples across anti-racist movements and key developments in nationhood/nationalism, institutional racism, migration, white supremacy and the disparities of COVID-19, Nasar Meer argues for the need to move on from perpetual crisis in racial justice to a turning point that might herald a change to deep-seated systems of racism.

Author: Nasar Meer
Publisher: Policy Press
Published: 04/26/2022
Pages: 198
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.57lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.45d
ISBN13: 9781447363026
ISBN10: 1447363027
BISAC Categories:
- Social Science | Ethnic Studies | General
- Social Science | Emigration & Immigration
- Social Science | Sociology | General

About the Author
Nasar Meer is Professor of Race, Identity and Citizenship in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, UK