Open questions remain about why race and ethnicity retain their mobilizing power.

Evidence

Why is it, for instance, that race and ethnicity retain their considerable hold over individual and collective action? What factors explain the mobilizing power of ideas about race and ethnicity in the contemporary environment? What counter values and ideas can be developed to undermine the general appeal of racist ideas and movements? Is it possible for communities that are socially defined by differences of race, ethnicity, religion, or other social signifiers to live together in societies that are able to ensure equality, justice, and mutually respectful consideration? — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 103