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BARACK OBAMA AND THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN RACIAL POLITICS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2009

Rogers M. Smith  and
Desmond S. King
Rogers M. Smith*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania
Desmond S. King
Affiliation:
Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford
*
Professor Rogers M. Smith, Department of Political Science, 209 Stiteler Hall, 208 South 37th Street, Room 217, Philadelphia, PA 19104. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

In 2008, following a campaign in which racial issues were largely absent, Americans elected their first Black president. This article argues that Obama's election does not signal the dawn of a postracial era in U.S. politics. Rather, it reflects the current structure of racial politics in the United States—a division between those who favor color-blind policies and seek to keep racial discussions out of politics, and those who favor race-conscious measures and whose policies are often political liabilities. The Obama campaign sought to win support from both camps. Only if pervasive material racial inequalities are reduced can such a strategy succeed in the long run.

Keywords

Barack ObamaPostracialColor-BlindRacial OrdersRace-Conscious Policies
Type
STATE OF THE DISCOURSE
Information
Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race , Volume 6 , Issue 1 , Spring 2009 , pp. 25 - 35
Copyright
Copyright © W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research 2009

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