Feeling anti-racism: how neoliberal multiculturalism and racialized emotions impede equity in the aftermath of George Floyd

ABSTRACT

This paper examines how neoliberal multiculturalism and racialized emotions function to inhibit racial justice in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. To do so, I trace how the proliferation of the discourse of anti-racism in education alongside the rise in popularity of anti-racist books, contributes to a racial project that embraces critical language but fails to enact tangible forms of racial equity. Drawing from the connections between 1960s race novels and modern anti-racist books, I argue that the notion of ‘feeling anti-racism’ becomes a conduit for neoliberal multiculturalism which effectively constructs race liberal subjectivities and dispositions. As a result, anti-racist books function to produce racialized emotions that legitimize anti-racist feelings over anti-racist actions.

KEYWORDS:

• Anti-racism
• emotions
• racial liberalism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).