Racial thinking among Latin American people of color parallels that of white North Americans

Evidence

This was possible because the racial thinking of nonwhites in Latin America strongly parallels that of whites in North America and the old Commonwealth. The implications of this are potentially vast for whiteness studies. For instance, within whiteness studies it is frequently assumed that “white talk” and racial illiteracy are a consequence of racial privilege. But if the same languages of race predominate in Latin America among racial subalterns, then this calls into question such an assumption. A full appreciation of this could prompt reconceptualizations of what is presently considered the basis for particular racial discourses and identities, and point to new strategies for transforming those practices which are seen as sustaining racial injustices. — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 3670

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to whiteness studies literature (Twine, Warren) and to earlier material in this volume on racial discourse; also resonates with reading on racial formation theory.
• QUESTION: If ‘white talk’ isn’t purely a function of privilege, what actually generates it — material conditions, internalized white supremacy, or something else entirely?