Stipulative definition of racism used in the United States
Prejudice plus power, also known as R = P + P, is a stipulative definition of racism used in the United States.[1] Patricia Bidol-Padva first proposed this definition in a 1970 book, where she defined racism as "prejudice plus institutional power."[2] According to this definition, two elements are required in order for racism to exist: racial prejudice, and social power to codify and enforce this prejudice into an entire society.[3][4] Adherents write that while all people can be racially prejudiced, minorities are powerless and therefore only white people have the power to be racist.[5] This definition is supported by the argument that power is responsible for the process of racialization and that social power is distributed in a zero-sum game.[6][7] This view is commonly shared by social liberals and progressives.[8][9] It also been used to define other forms of discrimination such as sexism, homophobia, and ableism.[10]
^Winant, Howard (1998). "Racism today: continuity and change in the post-civil rights era". Ethnic and Racial Studies. 21 (4): 755–766. doi:10.1080/014198798329856.
^Winant, Howard (1998). "Racism today: continuity and change in the post-civil rights era". Ethnic and Racial Studies. 21 (4): 755–766. doi:10.1080/014198798329856.