Call for Papers: Sociological Perspectives Special Issue: New Frontiers in the Study of Colorblind Racism
Sociological Perspectives
Special Issue: New Frontiers in the Study of Colorblind Racism
Call for Papers:
Guest Editor: Meghan A. Burke (Illinois Wesleyan University).
Co-Editors of Sociological Perspectives: Matthew Carlson, Lindsey Wilkinson,
Hyeyoung Woo (Portland State University)
Managing Editor: Elizabeth Withers (Portland State University)
Sociological Perspectives is seeking articles for a special issue: New Frontiers in the Study of Colorblind Racism.
The central ideology that sustains contemporary racial inequality is that of colorblindness- the notion that individual or cultural differences best explain racial inequality, rather than ongoing racism and its legacy from the past. While identifying the framework of colorblind racism and its central frames (Bonilla-Silva 2003) has been a crucial project, much of the literature has become stagnant, repeatedly identifying the presence of its discursive frames without adding new insights. It is time for a breakthrough. Stimulating new lines of research around colorblind ideology and discourses will allow us to delve deeper into the structure of racial domination, and gain new insights into the ways that it may be changing or challenged.
We call for scholarship that extends our sociological understanding of contemporary racism and its relationship to colorblind ideology beyond mere identification of its frames. This includes, but is not limited to,
● The ways that colorblindness is connected to institutional and organizational logics or frameworks, and other materialist approaches.
● The appeal of colorblindness for individuals embedded in concrete social settings, when other discursive frameworks may also be available.
● How colorblindness is negotiated or contested, or may change over time, and what that reveals about changing social structures.
● Sites of resistance or coalition that a solitary focus on the ideology may miss.
● Alternate racial logics or discourses that may relate to, but remain distinct from, colorblindness.
● Examinations of colorblindness using an intersectional or feminist lens.
● Innovative methodologies that extend our understanding of ideology and contemporary racism.
Please submit abstracts as Microsoft Word documents no longer than 500 words to mburke@iwu.edu by April 1, 2016 for feedback and further submission information. Full papers will be submitted by June 15, 2016 and be subject to blind peer review consistent with the standards established by the journal. As such, submitted papers must be based on original material, not under review or consideration by any other journal or publisher.
The special issue will be one of four issues in Volume 60, which will publish in 2017.
Please feel free to contact any of the editors about submission details or with any questions. Guest Editor information is provided below:
Meghan A. Burke
Associate Professor of Sociology
Illinois Wesleyan University
Box 2900
Bloomington, IL 61702-2900
309.556.3671