Racism Is a Twentieth-Century Word for a Much Older Practice
Racism is prejudice based on race. The word itself is surprisingly recent, entering English only in the 1930s.
Racism is prejudice, discrimination or hostility directed at people on the basis of race. The word is much younger than what it names: it entered English in the 1930s, largely in response to Nazi ideology, and *racialism* was the earlier British term. The practice long predates the vocabulary that finally allowed it to be named directly.
- Prejudice based on race. *Institutional racism.*
- A belief in racial superiority. *Scientific racism.*
- Racist — showing racism. *A racist remark.*
- Racialism — the older British term. *Racialism in the 1920s.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | racism | Everyday racism. |
| Adjective | racist | A racist policy. |
| Noun | racist | Called a racist. |
| Older term | racialism | Colonial racialism. |
| Related | prejudice | Deep prejudice. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The word entered English in the 1930s.Racialism came earlier.
- Institutional racism describes systems, not intent.A term from the Macpherson Report in Britain.
- Race has no biological basis as a taxonomy.Human genetic variation does not divide that way.
Related terms
- Prejudice — a prejudgement about a group
- Discrimination — treating people differently on that basis
- Institutional racism — outcomes produced by systems and processes
- Xenophobia — hostility to foreigners specifically
- Race — a social category, not a biological classification
From *race* plus *-ism*, first recorded in English in the 1930s. *Race* in this sense comes from French *race*, of uncertain earlier origin.
Is race a biological category?
Not as a taxonomy. Human genetic variation is continuous and does not divide into discrete races. Race is a social classification with real effects.
What is institutional racism?
Discriminatory outcomes produced by an organisation's processes and culture, whether or not any individual intends them.