Conclusion

I've learned that racial formation is still a big issue in our world. I've always been taught that not everyone is like me and I need to take the time to learn about the person rather than judge them. I believe that you can't judge others just because of their race or color of their skin. Instead, one needs to learn about the individual. The only way one could do this is by interacting with this individual and learning more about them.

                             

Research Question

* Is it possible to act in a color blind fashion in our society?


* Why is it difficult for people not to judge? Instead of judging, why don't people take the time to learn about different races, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds?

Agree or Disagree with the authors

I agree with Omi and Winant because I do believe that racial formation happens everyday. People do have stereotypes about one another. Instead of having the stereotypes some people never take the time to learn about the race or the person. I do agree with Omi and Winant that racial formation is historically situated. Race has been an issue for a long time and people don't
take the time to learn about others. I also agree with Bob Wing when he states that "race relations in the United States are not limited to the central black/ white axis" Many people have stereotypes about other races, it's not only blacks and whites that have stereotypes against them.

Research on Racial Formation

Another article called "In Search of the Power of Whiteness: A Genealogical Exploration of Negotiated Racial Identities in America's Ethnic Past" states that "the very notion of what it means to have either a "racial" or an "ethnic" identity has gotten even more complicated, as layers of legal, political, and cultural meanings have pulled us in the competing directions of defending either color consciousness in the name of identity politics or colorblindness in the name of equality and combating racism" (Mier, R. A., and Hasian, M., 2002, p. 391). When the authors talked about being color conscious and talked about color blindness it reminded me of Omi and Winant's view about trying to act in a color blind fashion.

Mier, R.A. and Hasian, M. (2002) In search of the power of whiteness: a genealogical exploration of negotiated racial identities in america's ethnic past. Communication Quarterly, 50, 391-409.

Research on Racial Formation

Another article called "Caribbean Racial Formations- Caribbean social structure, Caribbean political culture, middle class hegemony" talks about the racial class hierarchical structure inherited from colonialism in the Caribbean with white is light colored representations at the top and the masses of the darker skinned races and ethnicity's at the bottom." (http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/6040/Caribbean-Racial-Formations.html)

I found this statement in the article to be very interesting. I know many people of color that would agree with this statement. Even in my class we have talked about who we believe to have more power. Some people would say whites and others would say they are equally the same.

                                              
                                   QUESTION THAT COMES TO MIND:
Who do you believe to be at the top, light colored people or darker skinned people?

Research on Racial Formation

While researching more about racial formation I came across an article called "Crossing race and Nationality: the racial formation of Asian Americans 1852-1965" by Bob Wing.

In this article he talks about "how it is clearer than ever that race relations in the United States are not limited to the central black/white axis." He states "in fact this has always been true: Indian wars were central to the history of this country since its origins and race relations in the West have always centered on the interactions between Whites and Natives, Mexicans, and Asians." He further goes on to explain that "one cannot simply replace the black/white model with one that merely adds other groups. The reason is that other groups of color have faced discrimination that is quite different both in form and content that which has characterized black/white relations." He also states that "the racial formation of Asian Americans was a key moment in defining the color line among immigrants extending whiteness to European immigrants, and targeting non white immigrants for racial oppression." (Wing, 2005).

*** After reading this I learned that it's not only the blacks and whites that goes through the discrimination. Most of the time we talk more about the stereotypes that people have to say about black and whites and don't think about other races and ethnic backgrounds.***

Wing, B. (2005) Crossing race and nationality: the racial formation of Asian Americans 1852-1965.
http://www.monthlyreview.org/1205wing2.htm

Current arguments about racial formation

Omi and Winant's main argument is that "theory of racial formation suggests that society is suffused with racial projects, large and small. to which all are subjected" (Omi and Winant, p. 121).

Omi, M., and Winant, H. (1994). Racial formation in the united states. Routledge, Inc

What was my previous knowledge about the topic?

I never really knew about the term racial formation and what it meant. After reading Omi and Winant's work, I was able to learn about it and get a better understanding of what it was. The examples that they used helped me to get a better understanding of what the term racial formation was.

When the authors gave the example about "Funny you don't look black" (Omi & Winant, p. 120), it reminded me of times I heard people say this to me. Many people would say "You're black, I thought you were Hispanic." I've also found myself doing the same thing to some of my friends. There have been times that I guessed of other races, but nothing close to being black. I find the statement the authors used to be very interesting.

                                                  
                                           Question that comes to mind is
       How does a black person supposed to look like?

What made me personally interested in this topic?

While reading the article "Racial Formation" by Michael Omi and Howard Winant the authors talked about race and how people define it and talked about racial formation. The authors main idea is that race "is a matter of both social structure and cultural representation". When the authors talked how we must act in a "color blind" fashion, I found this statement to be very interesting. The first thought that came to mind was if that was even possible in the society that we live in. I found this to be an important issue because many times people judge others by the color of their skin and from what they know about that particular race, before getting to know the person. I feel like people don't take the time to learn more about the person, they assume that everyone in that race acts the same way.

Omi, M., and Winant, H. (1994). Racial formation in the united states. Routledge, Inc.


                                           

What does racial formation mean?

Racial formation is defined as "the socio-historical process by which racial categories are created, inhabited, transformed, and destroyed" (Omi and Winant, p. 117).


Omi, M., & Winant, H. (1994). Racial formation in the united states. Routledge, Inc.

                                   

Introduction

In my blog I will be talking about racial formation. I will define what racial formation is and I will talk about what made me personally interested in this topic. I will talk about experiences I've had and also talk about other articles I found that talked about racial formation and what the authors thought about racial formation. After reading several articles I find myself to now have a better understanding of what racial formation is and how it is still a big issue in our world and our society.

Creating this blog is a project that I have to do for my Oppression, Prejudice and Discrimination class.