Racial Formation in the United States: From the 1960s to the 1990s

How would you summarize the thesis of Racial Formation in the United States? What is the theory of racial formation that Michael Omi and Howard Winant are proposing? What are the strengths and weaknesses of their theory?

What does it mean for race to be a “master category” (viii) and a “template” (106)? Do you agree with the idea of race as a “master category” in comparison to gender, class, sexuality, etc.? Why or why not?

Choose a primary source or an academic work that Omi and Winant cite, such as those by W. E. B. Du Bois (23), Adolph L. Reed (88), Thomas Jefferson (116), or Barack Obama (229). How do the author’s views on race compare with those of Omi and Winant? How are they similar or different?