Acting White? : Rethinking Race in Post-Racial America

In Acting White, Devon Carbado and Mitu Gulati argue that that racial judgments are based not just on phenotypic skin color differences but on performative differences-how a person conforms to behavior stereotypically associated with a certain race. In other words, we judge people based not only on the color of their skin but on the content of their identity performance. More specifically, we judge them on their racial performance: how they dress and style their hair, their institutional affiliations, who they date and/or marry, where they live, how they speak, and their overall mannerisms and demeanor. They close by proposing effective legal remedies for this pervasive and subtle prejudice, which plays a significant role in perpetuating racial inequality in America.

In Acting White, Devon Carbado and Mitu Gulati argue that racial judgments are often based not just on skin color, but on how a person conforms to behavior stereotypically associated with a certain race. Specifically, people judge racial minorities on how they "perform" their race. That includes the clothes they wear, how they style their hair, the institutions with which they affiliate, their racial politics, the people they befriend, date or marry, where they live, how they speak, and their outward mannerisms and demeanor. Employing these cues, decision-makers decide not simply whether a person is black but the degree to which she or he is so. Relying on numerous examples from the workplace, higher education, and police interactions, the authors demonstrate that, for African Americans, the costs of "acting black" are high. This creates pressures for blacks to "act white." But, as the authors point out, "acting white" has costs as well. Written in an easy style that is non-doctrinaire and provocative, the book makes complex concepts both accessible and interesting. Whether you agree and disagree with Acting White, the book will challenge your assumptions and make you think about racial prejudice from a fresh vantage point.