Race and the Colour-Line: Boundaries of Europeanness in Poland

Race and the Color-Line explores the foundational ideas about race and colonialism in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and their global manifestations, focusing on the specificity of Polish racism and the experiences of people of color from Sub-Saharan African descent in contemporary Poland. It demonstrates the 'globality of racism' and appeals to scholars from various disciplines.

Format: Hardback
Length: 268 pages
Publication date: 11 August 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Race and the Color-Line delves into the core concepts of race and colonialism in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and reestablishes their connections to the global manifestations that shaped them. With a focus on race and colonialism, this book signifies a significant shift in the global racial discourse, offering a nuanced understanding of Polish racism that can enrich and expand our understanding of race in the West. Drawing upon archival materials from Poland and other regions of Europe, the book provides a rich theoretical and historical framework for examining race-making in the so-called 'peripheral sphere,' while also outlining how colonialism has been specifically framed within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and its empire in the Atlantic world.

Following a race-conscious social analysis, the significance and originality of this work lie in tracing the specificity of blackness in Europe, particularly in the context of CEE. By employing critical race studies as a framework, the author delves into the everyday racialized experiences of individuals of Sub-Saharan African descent residing in contemporary Poland. Through ethnographic research, the author showcases how these individuals navigate and perform multiple identities within the complex fabric of a racially diverse society.

The demonstration of the 'globality of racism' in this book extends the examination of race beyond its traditional Western context, making it appealing to scholars from various disciplines such as Sociology, Geography, Anthropology, Postcolonial Studies, Polish Studies, and Slavic Studies. By exploring the intersections of race, colonialism, and identity, Race and the Color-Line contributes to our understanding of the complex and multifaceted dynamics of race in different regions of the world.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032112381