White Privilege
The myth of a post-racial society
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bristol University Press
Publishing:30th Sep '25
£12.99
This title is due to be published on 30th September, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£13.99(9781447335979)

Why do racial inequalities persist, and in some cases deepen, in an era that claims to be ‘post-racial’?
Despite popular narratives of progress, Black and minority ethnic communities continue to face systemic disadvantage. In this fully revised and updated edition, Kalwant Bhopal uncovers how shifting social, political and economic landscapes in both the UK and US have not only failed to reduce racial discrimination but instead have intensified it.
From the backlash against #BlackLivesMatter to the rise of far-right governments denying the relevance of race altogether, this book dismantles the illusion of racial progress. Drawing on timely debates and grounded in empirical evidence, Bhopal reveals how race continues to shape access to power, opportunity and justice.
Urgent and unflinching, this is essential reading for anyone interested in exposing the myth of a post-racial society.
"This brave and powerful book speaks out passionately, but always in a well-evidenced and convincingly argued way, about the endemic racism that continues to blight UK and US societies. But it is also a hopeful, forward-looking book that engages constructively with the possibilities for change." Diane Reay, University of Cambridge
"A laser-sharp account of a Britain in which racist anger is accepted political currency and Black lives have, once again, ceased to matter." Paul Warmington, Honorary Professor, University of Warwick
"Bhopal returns to pitch her fearless rage at the global resurgence of white supremacy with razor-sharp scholarship and irrefutable evidence that racism is alive and living in a place near YOU." Heidi Safia Mirza, University College London
"Many of the critical analyses of neoliberalism in education have neglected the ways in which neoliberalism as a theory and as a set of policies and practices is deeply connected to racialisation. In White Privilege, Kalwant Bhopal provides us with a clear and powerful analysis of these connections and of why they are so crucial to understand." Michael W. Apple, John Bascom Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison
"More than ever, the study of whiteness proves indispensable. Kalwant Bhopal is a voice of reason in a cacophony of fervor. She takes to task the presumptions of post-raciality and defies its pretenders. We will be post-racial in a condition of post-racism. Until then, evidence and ethics are on her side." Zeus Leonardo, University of California, Berkeley, Author of Race Frameworks: A Multidimensional Theory of Racism and Education
"A valuable insight into the complexities and subtleties of modern day racism, the intersection of race and class and the unfinished battle to transcend white hegemony." Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner
“This is the definitive examination of ‘white privilege’, a term that was once restricted to academic debates, but is now the stuff of social media disinformation, anti-‘woke’ hatred and the international culture wars. In this exceptional book, Kalwant Bhopal unflinchingly examines white privilege as a material fact that influences where you live, your educational chances, and even your likelihood of a premature death. Updated to include the Covid pandemic and Black Lives Matter racial reckoning, this is a vital contribution.”
David Gillborn, author of White Lies: Racism, Education and Critical Race Theory
“An important contribution to understanding the reality of white privilege, and the need to challenge and overcome it.” Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner
“In this updated edition, supported by extensive empirical work, white privilege is shown to have a multi-faceted impact on inequalities in contemporary societies. In our troubled times, this is a must-read for students, policy makers and activists.” John Preston, University of Essex
“This is the definitive examination of ‘white privilege’, a term that was once restricted to academic debates, but is now the stuff of social media disinformation, anti-‘woke’ hatred and the international culture wars. In this exceptional book, Kalwant Bhopal unflinchingly examines white privilege as a material fact that influences where you live, your educational chances, and even your likelihood of a premature death. Updated to include the COVID pandemic and Black Lives Matter racial reckoning, this is a vital contribution.”
David Gillborn, author of White Lies: Racism, Education and Critical Race Theory
"Offers a crucial and timely focus on the perpetuation of white privilege in a society that claims to be post-racial, and the continuing disadvantages experienced by black and minority ethnic groups... provides a wealth of data on social, educational and economic inequalities in both the UK and USA where white supremacist hate is increasing. It should be read by policy makers, practitioners and the public to help them realise how white privilege works and disadvantage is perpetuated" Sally Tomlinson, University of Oxford
"In this wide-ranging book Bhopal addresses racial inequality in Britain and the United States. She demonstrates how racial inequality is pervasive in British society across sectors, especially education and the labor market, an important perspective for scholars. A great introduction to issues of racial inequality." Natasha Kumar Warikoo, Harvard University, Graduate School of Education.
ISBN: 9781447372035
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
272 pages
Second Edition