How Americans Make Race

The death of Michael Brown and recent unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, have brought national attention to issues of racism and inequality. Many WUSTL professors have weighed in, including Clarissa Rile Hayward in a recent blog post for the Washington Post. The following podcast from November 2013 features Hayward discussing her book How Americans Make Race: Stories, Institutions, Spaces.

In Argentine tango, the steps that dancers perform - and even the shoes that they wear - tell a certain story about the correct role of men and women in the dance. In her book How Americans Make Race: Stories, Institutions, Spaces, Clarissa Rile Hayward argues that racial identities are formed in much the same way. Whether looking at the 1920s or 2013, people's behavior and attitudes toward race are often influenced by factors beyond their own experience and control. Hayward tracks this phenomenon, introduces the ideas of 'institutionalization' and 'objectification," and reveals why some stories about race are more influential than others.