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Racial divisions have returned to the forefront of politics in the United States and European societies, making it more important than ever to understand race and racism. But do we? In this original and provocative book, acclaimed historian Jean-Frédéric Schaub shows that we don´t--and that we need to rethink the widespread assumption that racism is essentially a modern form of discrimination based on skin color and other visible differences. On the contrary, Schaub argues that to understand racism we must look at historical episodes of collective discrimination where there was no visible difference between people. Built around notions of identity and otherness, race is above all a political tool that must be understood in the context of its historical origins. Challenging widespread definitions of race and offering a new chronology of racial thinking, Schaub shows why race must always be understood in the context of its political history.

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"Breathtaking in its range and ambition, this is a wonderful and provocative book about the concept of race. Schaub´s command of the scholarship is impressive, the argument is forcefully made, and the prose is clear. I believe this book should be widely read and discussed."--Stuart B. Schwartz, Yale University

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Jean-Frédéric Schaub teaches at the School for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences (EHESS) in Paris. He also holds a Global Distinguished Professorship in the History Department of New York University.

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