In this frank, funny and meticulous book, a leading social scientist lays out the striking facts we know about racism, how we have uncovered them, and how we can start to fix them.
'Illuminating, surprising, unnerving, moving . . . and, sadly, utterly necessary for this time in history.' - Sathnam Sanghera, bestselling author of Empireland
Polls show that if you ask the average person even the most basic question – 'Does racism still exist?' – half the population will say that it does, while the other half will say that it doesn't. Despite increasingly vocal and polarized opinions on both traditional and social media platforms, as a society we have no more clarity about racism than we did a generation ago.
In the ground-breaking The Science of Racism Professor Keon West cuts through the divisive anecdotes and rhetoric with decades' worth of clear, factual, rigorous, quantitative science, to reveal truths about racism that are shocking and tragic, but also (somehow) funny and entertaining.
He explains how we know, for example, that Black people are up to 50 per cent less likely to be called in to interview than identically qualified White people. He shows how we know the financial cost of selling items online while Black. He reveals the effects of racism on our friendships, relationships, healthcare and justice system. And he exposes the continued prevalence of racism, and the inadequacy of many attempts to address it.
Whatever you've read before, this book will ensure that you never see racism in quite the same way again. Keon West is a Professor of Social Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, and the President of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. He has received numerous international awards for his research, teaching, media engagement and social activism. He has also appeared frequently as a psychological expert and presenter on a variety of international media platforms including the BBC World Service, BBC Radio 4, Channel 4 and The Guardian. He is especially well known for his research on prejudice, sexual orientation and sexual health. The Science of Racism is his second book. How do we know if racism really exists? And, if it does, how big a problem is it for the outcomes of people of colour? Only science has the answers to some of society's most pressing questions.
