Prejudice plus power

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]

  1. ^ Gil De Lamadrid, Daniel (January 2022). "The Whiteness of Prejudice Plus Power". Academia.
  2. ^ Sivanandan, Ambalavaner (1990). Communities of Resistance: Writings on Black Struggles for Socialism. Verso. p. 99. ISBN 9780860915140.
  3. ^ Barndt, Joseph R. (1991). Dismantling Racism: The Continuing Challenge to White America. Augsburg Books. pp. 28–29. ISBN 9780806625768.
  4. ^ Tatum, Beverly (2004). Rothenberg, Paula (ed.). Race, Class, and Gender in the United States: An Integrated Study. Macmillan. p. 127. ISBN 9780716755159.
  5. ^ Rosado, Caleb. "The Undergirding Factor is POWER Toward an Understanding of Prejudice and Racism". EdChange.
  6. ^ Fiske, Susan (2011). Dowding, Keith (ed.). Encyclopedia of Power. SAGE Publications. p. 549. ISBN 9781412927482.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Fiske, Susan (2011). Dowding, Keith (ed.). Encyclopedia of Power. SAGE Publications. p. 549. ISBN 9781412927482.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ https://thurstontogether.org/Portals/0/Isms.pdf [bare URL PDF]