Although some reforms followed the Civil Rights Movement, no fundamental changes have occurred in the patterns of racism, Prof. Howard Winant said Monday at the Block Museum of Art.
Winant was the fifth of six speakers in the “Black Identities, Race and Modernity” lecture series sponsored by Northwestern’s Kaplan Center for the Humanities.
Winant, a sociology professor at Temple University in Philadephia, spoke about his new book, “The World is a Ghetto: Race and Democracy Since WWII.” In the book, Winant traces the meaning of race from the 16th century to the present and explains the development of racial stratification in the United States, Brazil, Europe and South Africa.
“The fact that so much has been accomplished should not allow us to rest on our laurels,” he said. “Whatever’s been accomplished, there’s still a whole lot of work to do.”
Winant said the concept of color-blindness in the United States actually supports racial inequality because it assumes the problem is over, and everyone is now judged by merits alone. He tried to develop a more critical perspective in his book, he said.
During his speech, Winant cautioned against placing too much emphasis on equal rights. He said the stress should be on redistributing power and wealth.
Winant said there should also be more concern about international issues. Even after the beginning of the new millennium, the worldstruggles with racial stratification and segregation, he said.
In his concluding remarks, Winant compared the acceptance of racial differences to that of religious ones.
“It’s not something that can be transcended, and it’s not something we want to transcend,” he said.
Robert Gooding-Williams, an NU philosophy professor, organized the yearlong series. He said he has been satisfied with all the lecturers as well as the discussions that follow. He chose Winant to speak because of his contribution to “Racial Formation in the United States,” published in 1986.
“(Winant) is the co-author of one of the most influential social treatments of race in the last 15 years,” Gooding-Williams said.
Nancy Randall, a Weinberg junior, was one of about 35 people who attended the lecture. She said Winant’s speech was interesting and informative.
“It was a good lead into learning about race and race theory,” she said. “It certainly makes me interested in the book.”
The last lecture in the series is at 4:30 p.m. on May 7. Patricia Williams, a Columbia University law professor, will be speaking.
