Race and Ethnic Politics

Abstract

“Race and ethnic politics” refers to the role of social dynamics that takes place in the political sphere and the state in the construction of racial and ethnic categories, and the enactment of related practices and policies including racial oppression and struggles for social change and equality. This topic comprises a subfield of sociological theory and research that has expanded over the course of the discipline's development in the past century. Today, a large body of research covers the racial and ethnic dimensions of political power, relationships between racial and ethnic groups and political parties and organizations, and the role of the state and political activities in the development of racial and ethnic identities and inequalities. An especially crucial matter of racial and ethnic politics is that of political inequality and social oppression and processes of contestation in which the role of demographics, geography, and coalition formation have particular salience. Additionally, relationships between race and ethnicity, the state, and various political and legal projects are of interest. The study of racial and ethnic politics has also focused on international relations and global politics and is concerned with colonialism, imperialism, and globalized capitalism.