Race must be analyzed as both structure and representation simultaneously.

Evidence

Race is a “crossroads” where social structure and cultural representation meet. Too often, the attempt is made to understand race simply or primarily in terms of only one of these two analytical dimensions. For example, efforts to explain racial inequality as a purely social structural phenomenon either neglect or are unable to account for the origins, patterning, and transformation of racial meanings, representations, and social identities. Conversely, many examinations of for example, can end up influencing national policies and initiatives. — Michael Omi, Howard Winant, Racial Formation in the United States, 128

Race is a “crossroads” where social structure and cultural representation meet. Too often, the attempt is made to understand race simply or primarily in terms of only one of these two analytical dimensions. For example, efforts to explain racial inequality as a purely social structural phenomenon either neglect or are unable to account for the origins, patterning, and transformation of racial meanings, representations, and social identities. — Michael Omi, Howard Winant, Racial Formation in the United States, 128

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines Omi-Winant’s core concept of race as crossroads of structure and signification.
• DEEPTHINKING: The two-sided dialectic (material structure x cultural meaning) is the book’s central analytical move and repays deep engagement.
• XREF: Directly anchors vault claims that race is jointly structural and representational.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Michael Omi, Howard Winant, Racial Formation in the United States, 128