About this Research Topic
Over the past decade the Black Lives Matter movement, de-colonial initiatives, and the rise of right-wing populism have foregrounded how the racism and discriminations produced by Europe’s colonial histories endure. Activist movements worldwide have prompted societies, particularly in the Global North, to reflect on how colonialism, racism, and whiteness, as well as differing socio-historical contexts, shape institutional and material structures and everyday affective contours. As sociologists, the choice of theoretical perspectives and methodological interventions used to study these phenomena can significantly impact the understanding and presentation of the social world. However, there is a need for a more in-depth exploration of the theoretical and methodological lenses used to study 'race' (including whiteness) in societies across the Global North and Global South.
The primary aim of this Research Topic is to address the experiences of racialized minorities with racism and the manifestations of whiteness. This will be achieved through a variety of methodological approaches, including surveys, in-depth interviews, and ethnographic studies. The research will also focus on the role of affective, material, and sensory phenomena in constructing race. By analyzing the extent and types of experiences of racial discrimination in various societal fields, we also seek to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of different methodological approaches in conceptualizing, operationalizing, and measuring racial discrimination. The Research Topic is also inspired by recent advances in reflexive migration studies and aims to engage in a discussion about 'epistemic reflexivity,' which seeks to control the 'scholastic bias' introduced by the categories, techniques, and theories used by sociologists.
To gather further insights into the experiences of racialized minorities and the manifestations of whiteness, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
• The experiences of racialized minorities with racism and how whiteness manifests itself, particularly in relation to a country/region/locality's socio-historical context.
• The generation of specific forms of knowledge in relation to race and racialization processes through different methodologies.
• The impact of differing approaches on research outcomes and what different forms of measurement may hide or overlook.
• The role of reflexivity in studies on the production of race and racial discrimination, including the effects of the researcher's positionality and how categories are reproduced or altered through research practice.
The primary aim of this Research Topic is to address the experiences of racialized minorities with racism and the manifestations of whiteness. This will be achieved through a variety of methodological approaches, including surveys, in-depth interviews, and ethnographic studies. The research will also focus on the role of affective, material, and sensory phenomena in constructing race. By analyzing the extent and types of experiences of racial discrimination in various societal fields, we also seek to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of different methodological approaches in conceptualizing, operationalizing, and measuring racial discrimination. The Research Topic is also inspired by recent advances in reflexive migration studies and aims to engage in a discussion about 'epistemic reflexivity,' which seeks to control the 'scholastic bias' introduced by the categories, techniques, and theories used by sociologists.
To gather further insights into the experiences of racialized minorities and the manifestations of whiteness, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
• The experiences of racialized minorities with racism and how whiteness manifests itself, particularly in relation to a country/region/locality's socio-historical context.
• The generation of specific forms of knowledge in relation to race and racialization processes through different methodologies.
• The impact of differing approaches on research outcomes and what different forms of measurement may hide or overlook.
• The role of reflexivity in studies on the production of race and racial discrimination, including the effects of the researcher's positionality and how categories are reproduced or altered through research practice.
Keywords: race, Racism, Whiteness, Academic knowledge production, Reflexivity, Qualitative methodologies, Quantitative methodologies
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
