Howard Winant Racial Formation Summary

The material analyzed by Howard Winant and Michael Omi circulates in the form of a book that was originally published in 1986. In the book, the concept of racial formation is structured as a sociological theory that can be utilized to scientifically understand the concept of race. For instance, in the introductory sequence of the book the author’s assert that their theory can aid in conceptualizing the significance of race by first understanding that race is an “unstable and decen-tered complex of social meanings constantly being transformed by political struggle.” (Racial Formation, 1986) In essence, by approaching a dynamic idea such as race from a sociological perspective we increase the proposed theory’s applicability and thus can begin to understand how race propagates through a cultural and social framework. …show more content…
Furthermore, the authors’ go on to define the concept of racial formation as “the sociohistorical process by which racial categories are created, inhabited, transformed, and destroyed.” This extensive definition by default becomes the parameter in which the reader can begin to understand how “historically situated projects” are presented and organized throughout society. For instance, the social perception of capital, income, and other assets can be used under specific racial categories to formulate a generic assumptions on an individuals socioeconomic status. In essence, we as individuals often tend to use the concept of race as a rapid mechanism in which we can begin to develop a set of assumptions about another person behavior, political ideologies, and academic