The Cambridge Handbook for the Anthropology of Race and Ethnicity

Exploring the history and contemporary realities of race and racism using diverse methodologies, this Handbook offers a critical, global perspective on the anthropology of race and ethnicity. It is essential reading for scholars and students of anthropology, race, and ethnicity, and anyone interested in understanding global inequalities.

What is race and how does it structure our contemporary world? This Handbook offers a groundbreaking exploration of these urgent questions, providing a critical, global perspective on the anthropology of race and ethnicity. Drawing together cutting-edge research across subdisciplines such as physical anthropology, cultural anthropology, archaeology, and linguistics, it emphasizes the key roles of colonialism and the discipline of anthropology in shaping our understanding of race and demonstrates the instrumentality of race/ethnicity in the reproduction of local and global inequality. The chapters show how a variety of issues are deeply rooted in global structures of race and power — from the rising popularity of genomics to police brutality and the rise of the far right in the West. Providing new theoretical frameworks and innovative methodologies reshaping the discipline of anthropology, this Handbook is a vital resource for anyone interested in the complexities of race in the twenty-first century.