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Eduardo Bonilla-Silva

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description Eduardo Bonilla-Silva Overview

Eduardo Bonilla-Silva is a Puerto Rican-born American sociologist whose research focuses on racism, racial ideology, and inequality in the United States. In Racism without Racists, first published in 2003, he developed an account of color-blind racism, explaining how apparently race-neutral language can justify persistent racial disparities. His work is aimed at understanding racism as a social system rather than only as individual prejudice.

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What does Eduardo Bonilla-Silva mean by color-blind racism?

He argues that racial inequality can persist through language and practices that appear neutral because they avoid openly racist claims. In Racism without Racists, first published in 2003, he analyzes recurring ways Americans explain segregation and unequal outcomes without naming structural racism.

What are the four frames discussed in Racism without Racists?

Bonilla-Silva identifies abstract liberalism, naturalization, cultural racism, and minimization of racism. These frames describe patterns such as treating unequal conditions as free choice or attributing disparities to the supposed culture of a racial group.

How does Bonilla-Silva's structural view differ from treating racism as personal prejudice?

His approach treats racism as a social system that distributes resources and status unevenly, not merely as hostile beliefs held by individuals. This shifts analysis toward institutions, routine practices, and durable racial hierarchy in the United States.

Where has Eduardo Bonilla-Silva taught sociology?

He has been a professor of sociology at Duke University. He also served as president of the American Sociological Association in 2018, reflecting his prominence in research on race and inequality.

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