Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America

Color-blind racism is the term Bonilla-Silva coined to describe the racist ideology that accompanies what he calls the “New Racism.” Color-blind racism is an ideology that allows White people to argue that they do not “see color” or are not “racist” while supporting policies and a system that keeps people of color oppressed. The use of color-blind racist tropes is rarely intentional by white people, as the ideology is so pervasive that most people in society (including some people of color) internalize it.

Hegemony is a philosophical idea traced to Ancient Greece but reintroduced by the Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci. To Gramsci, hegemony referred to the cultural dominance of a ruling class; specifically, he argued that the ruling class manipulates the culture of society in such a way that their viewpoint becomes the worldview of the whole society. To Bonilla-Silva, color-blind racism is an example of hegemony as white becomes the default race and color-blindness the default ideology.

The idea of an ideology comes from Karl Marx, who used the word to describe a set of ideas and beliefs that are dominant in society and are therefore used to justify the ruling class’s powers and privileges. Bonilla-Silva defines color-blind racism as the dominant ideology of America.