Collective racial resentment and emotion: Toward an understanding of Whites' reactions to demands for racial equity

Abstract

AbstractThere is a long‐standing debate regarding how whites respond to Black political activists who push for racial equity. Symbolic racism researchers have argued that white reactions result from a blend of racial animus and traditional moral values, while conflict theorists have argued they are more a matter of group interests. Others who take a politics centered approach argue that principled objections rooted in political ideology—not racial considerations—are the driving force. In this article, I outline the history of this debate, with a particular emphasis on the symbolic racism and group conflict perspectives and their theoretical foundations. Efforts to synthesize these perspectives have made a case that both feelings are aspects of whites' sense of group position and might be described as “collective racial resentment.” Drawing on this concept, I argue that whites are likely to be angered by Black political activists because they are perceived to be a threat to the group's position. I then propose the more general concept of “collective racial emotion” to capture contexts where whites may feel paternalistic warmth if they believe their group's position is being protected.