Civilizational essentialism is a pillar of racial categorization.

Evidence

“Orientalists divided human societies into civilizations that have a core set of values that drive their progress (or lack thereof). The people who inhabit these civilizations were said to have a cultural ‘essence’ that explains who they are across time. Essentialism of this sort is one of the pillars of race making.” Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire: 20 Years after 9/11 (Verso, 2021), 19. — Khaled A. Beydoun, The New Crusades_ Islamophobia and the…, 1277 (#expands, via linked claim)

For blacks, the idealization of race served to negate notions of white superiority and, in turn, the legitimacy of white male power and racist institutions. Like the feminine ideal, the racial ideal valorized a more equitable, inclusive Perceiving themselves to be joined in a struggle for the economic, educational, and moral advancement of their people, black Baptist men. — Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Righteous Discontent, 669 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Cultural essentialism divides civilizations and serves as a pillar of race making; Orientalist civilizational essentialism is a pillar of race making — Khaled A. Beydoun, The New Crusades_ Islamophobia and the…, 1277; Race-based antiracism reifies into essentialism once historical openings close — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 1705 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Orientalist civilizational essentialism is a pillar of race making #expands (0.97) — Khaled A. Beydoun, The New Crusades_ Islamophobia and the…, 1277
• Black racial idealization repurposed essentialist traits to negate white superiority #complicates (0.70) — Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Righteous Discontent, 669