Book Review - White Privilege: The Myth Of A Post Racial Society

White Privilege: The Myth Of A Post Racial Society is a book written by Kalwant Bhopal. The book was written to provide a very heavily researched argument that white privilege exists and that the idea that we live in a post racial society is a myth which is perpetuated so white privilege can protect itself and continue. It includes a lot of evidence to aid this goal including detailed statistics and interview-based case studies which help build a view of just how far reaching and all-encompassing white privilege is. It is a very academic research focused book and can at times be quite a heavy read but is one well worth engaging in. Each chapter looks at white privilege and its effects on a different area of society with the main points of focus being the trajectory from school to higher education to work. It almost reads as though each chapter would work as an individual essay on its own complete with its own introduction and conclusion. Put together in the book they add up to build a compelling argument for negative effects of white privilege on BAME (black and Asian minority people) in this country.

The books opening chapters look at race as a ‘disadvantage’ focusing initially on the disadvantages that come with not being ‘white’ in this society. The second and third chapters work to further define white privilege and then to further detail it by showing who do not receive it. It does this by looking at Gypsy and Traveller groups and how they are denied white privilege because they are considered “unacceptable or illegitimate forms of whiteness”. The book paints a picture of white privilege as a blanket which mainly covers white people who are of the middle classes or more affluent and which leaves Gypsy and Traveller group as well as BAME people out in the cold. It then looks at intersectionality and how different characteristics can increase the discrimination BAME people face. Examples of this process in action are seen with case studies who are black, female, and working class, and another who is black, male, and gay. It shows how the discrimination and challenges they face multiply in different ways. This is particularly useful for providing a definition of, and closer look at intersectionality for readers who may have heard the term but are not completely sure of its meaning.

The next few chapters focus on school and higher education. Here it show far reaching white privilege can be by illustrating how early in life its effects start to be seen. It shows the disparity between the test scores of white pupils and BAME pupils demonstrating the negative effects lowered expectations, the lack of BAME teachers, and lack of access to better funded schools have. It also takes the time to put a spotlight on the Prevent programme enacted by the UK government. It argues Prevent was damaging to BAME students as it was based in stereotypes, and the focus on “fundamental British values” created a discourse based on “blame culture” where “black and minority ethic groups are seen as posing a threat to the social order of UK society”. From here it follows effects of white privilege, and discrimination against BAME people into higher education. It shows that while the number of BAME students entering higher education has increased, the number who gain admittance to Russell Group universities is still particularly low. It talks about how there have been attempts to address this with processes like ‘name blind applications’ but also looks at the backlash measures like affirmative action have received from white people. This backlash is shown to be white privilege effectively protecting itself from what is perceived as a threat.

It then shifts focus slightly to the bullying that occurs in both institutions. It does this most effectively with case studies with one detailing how the parents of a BAME child was treated when they tried to report and complain about their child being bullied to the school. The school was dismissive of the parent’s concerns, refusing to acknowledge that the bullying was rooted in racism, saying it must instead be due to their child’s personality. This turned to victim blaming with the school treating the parents as trouble seekers. “By making a complaint, the Browns, who were the victims of racism, became the villains – simply because they had made a complaint about racism”. The second looks at discrimination in higher education with a BAME reader at a Russell Group university. It details a white female member of staff joined her department as a reader and the new intake began belittling her in public and criticising her. When she spoke up, the response she got was like the one the parents received. Her manager blamed it on a clash of personalities and refused to confront the fact that the bullying was racist. The individual ended up leaving on study leave and upon returning found the colleague had been promoted to a chair and given a senior role as Director of Research. Instead of punishing the bully for her racism she had been promoted.  Yet another example of white privilege asserting and protecting itself. 

The book then draws a line from education to work with racial inequality in the labour market. It shows that through a process of racism, BAME groups are less likely to occupy positions of power in work. The one two punch of statistics and case studies are here again. Statistics are used to prove the struggle faced by BAME people to find work, particularly in senior decision-making roles. It follows this with two case studies of UK students in their final year of their undergraduate degrees detailing their apprehensions at having to transition into the labour market. They both spoke about concerns that they would struggle to find work and how their race is an additional hurdle to be overcome to get an interview, let alone to get a job. It all demonstrates that white privilege in the labour market is more acts to keep BAME people out of senior roles, resulting in entire sections of the labour market being reserved for white people only.

From here it interrogates wealth, poverty, and inequality asking who is poor, looking at different explanations for poverty including housing, neighbourhoods, mental and physical health. It also looks at poverty in the US showing that BAME people are more likely to live in overcrowded, and substandard housing and a concerted effort to ensure Black people especially were only able to find housing in less affluent areas whereas more affluent areas became the domain of white people. “Through exclusionary zoning and outright housing market discrimination, the upper middle class, and affluent could move to the suburbs and the poor were left behind.” This process is just another example of white privilege at work protecting itself and ensuring that BAME people ‘know their place” so to speak.

Finally, the book moves to its ultimate conclusions with its final chapter. Rather than just showing the realities of white privilege, and life without it, the book provides possible solutions and a potential way forward. These solutions include compulsory unconscious bias training particularly for people involved in promotional or recruitment panels, name blind applications, and a quota system for BAME students to Russell Group universities. The book recognises that a big mountain to climb isn’t the introduction or reform of policy but getting society to recognise that it is built upon a foundation of institutional racism. A lot of White people need to acknowledge this, and all the self defence mechanisms of white privilege kick into high gear to dismiss any issues or criticism to do with race. White people want to believe in the idea that we live in a post racial society so much because they do not want to do the hard work of reckoning with the fact that society is unequal, advantage goes to the already advantaged, white privilege exists and, the fact that whether it feels like it or not they have benefited from it.

That is where the real value of this book comes in, and why it is a necessary read, especially if you are a white person as I (the writer of this review) am. It does not let us off the hook, it is uncompromising and presents facts and figures to prove that white privilege exists, probably because the author knew they would have to go above and beyond to avoid being immediately dismissed. This reluctance to sit down and really do the work of reckoning with society, and white people’s elevated position in it is what this book works hard to cut through. That desire to stick our heads in the sand and say we don’t see colour to avoid the difficult conversations is what leads to myths about a post racial society which this book breaks down. People want the post racial society to be real, but they want a shortcut to it, like they want to skip to the end when everything is fixed and everything is equal. This book shows that society is a long way from achieving that, and that its going to take a lot of work and changes from the top down to get there with a true acknowledgement of and reckoning with white privilege and the unequal playing field it has created being the first step.

White Privilege: The Myth Of A Post Racial Society is a book written by Kalwant Bhopal