Piroshkova: Racecraft and Racialization as Tools of Control The Sociological Imagination: Western's Undergraduate Sociology and Criminology Student Journal 6(1) Racecraft and Racialization as Tools of Control Moria Piroshkova Western University, Canada Abstract This paper seeks to make clear that it is beneficial to examine racism (as an institution of oppression) in terms of racecraft and racialization, as these concepts demonstrate how economic, social, and political power is distributed on the basis of socially constructed categories of race. These categories are created and maintained through institutional practices and discourses that treat racial categories and hierarchies as 'real' for the purpose of maintaining white supremacy (rather than arbitrarily established) (racecraft). Understanding racialization and racecraft helps us to dismantle the ideology of race and is therefore foundational to effective anti-racist practice, which must be centered around racism rather than race to dismantle the notion (upon which white supremacy rests) that race is real (Fassin). This dismantling power of understanding racism through racecraft and racialization will be demonstrated through an analysis of government policies, racial passing, scientific racism, and racial capital. This paper seeks to make race to dismantle the notion (upon clear that it is beneficial to examine which white supremacy rests) that racism (as an institution of race is real (Fassin). This dismantling oppression) in terms of racecraft and power of understanding racism racialization, as these concepts through racecraft and racialization will demonstrate how economic, social, be demonstrated through an analysis and political power is distributed on of government policies, racial the basis of socially constructed passing, scientific racism, and racial categories of race. These categories capital. are created and maintained through Racecraft, first coined by institutional practices and discourses Karen E. Fields and Barbara J. that treat racial categories and Fields, describes how practices of hierarchies as 'real' for the purpose of racism produce a general belief in maintaining white supremacy (rather race as an inherently biological than arbitrarily established) category through the circulation of (racecraft). Understanding myths and ideas that rationalize the racialization and racecraft helps us to oppression of racialized people dismantle the ideology of race and is (Farbman). It was derived from the therefore foundational to effective word “witchcraft” to illustrate the anti-racist practice, which must be similarities between the belief in the centered around racism rather than occult, as seen in some colonized Published by Scholarship@Western, 2020 Sociological Imagination: Western's Undergraduate Sociology Student Journal, Vol. 6 [2020], Iss. 1, Art. 7 Piroshkova African societies, and the belief in laws, which legally legitimize racial race found throughout Western categories, serve to reproduce the society (Farbman). In both cases, ideology of race by treating it as a there is no logical causal explanation fixed and a defining trait that for what is taking place, and instead, differentiates people (Tallbear). there is a reliance on circular However, this rule was not applied to arguments to justify causation where other different ethnic groups, such as there is none (Farbman). Racecraft Native Americans, who are required also serves to justify racialization: the to at least one-fourth Native American practice of identifying another as a ancestry in order to hold Native person of color based on a belief that American status (Schmidt). The races entail behavioral and biological reason for these inconsistencies rests differences (Murji and Solomos). is the fact that under United States There is no scientific explanation that law, Native Americans are entitled to justifies the arbitrary categorization of various financial compensation and humans based on visual differences benefits from the government, such as skin color, but the ideology of whereas Black Americans were race attributes the social legally disentitled to the same consequences a racialized person inheritance, financial, and social experiences as a result of their skin benefits as whites (Piper). The color rather than the racism of the purpose of the one-drop rule, thus, offender (Haider). Racecraft points to was the exclusion of the largest the social construction of race and in possible amount of people to ensure turn allows us to identify flaws in the that "white privilege" and supremacy ideology of race in institutions such rested in the smallest possible as medicine and government that amount of hands (Piper). If the one- were used to justify the racialization, drop rule was treated as an accurate and subsequent oppression of form of racial designation, then it racialized subjects, in the interest of would include most of the white racial capitalism. population in America, as all of The inconsistencies in legal humanity evolved out of Africa, measurements of race are evidence effectively excluding them from the of the arbitrary lines on which race is social power they have enjoyed as a defined. This demonstrates how result of the racist social structures in racecraft is employed in policy, which place (Piper). The inconsistencies in can help one understand how racism blood quantum laws illustrate how the is rooted in institutions. Arbitrary legal ideology of race relies on racecraft measurements of race can be seen in and racialization as tools wielded to how Native American and Black maintain the social and economic blood people are/have been power of white people in society, racialized in the United States. The rather than identifying inherent or “one drop” rule, historically present in biological traits that differentiate the United States, identifies a person groups of people. Race, thus, when with any amount of African ancestry understood through the ideas of as Black (Piper). Blood quantum racecraft and racialization serves a http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/si/vol6/iss1/7 2 Sociological Imagination: Western's Undergraduate Sociology Student Journal, Vol. 6 [2020], Iss. 1, Art. 7 Piroshkova specific purpose: determine and which is most common among those distribute power throughout society of mixed racial descent (Pile). The (Davis). It also serves as a presence of such racial ambiguity that justification for the oppression and allows for passing brings into exploitation of entire ethnic groups, question the legitimacy of racial and the denial of personhood to identity and points out the arbitrary people of color (Davis). lines on which it is defined, as the The ideas of racecraft and presence of choice about racial racialization can also be seen to identity makes its fluidity evident dismantle the notion of ‘real’ races (Pile). Moreover, the very possibility upon which racism is grounded of racial passing due to mixed through an analysis of racialized descent challenges the dichotomous people “Passing” for white. “Passing” nature of racialization, since one can refers to the process by which a non- identify with both races at once, white person takes on a white showing that race is understood as identity. This practice was often used something other than skin color as a means to escape slavery in (Davis). It is conduct, rather than America, as was done in the well- color, that is fundamental to the documented case of Ellen Craft and concept of "passing", and therefore her husband, William Craft in 1848. the question must shift to what is Ellen, who had light features due to black and white rather than who is her father and mother’s father being black and white (Davis). of white descent, pretended to be a Passing can be understood as white man, while her husband posed a radical process that plays with as her Black servant when they fled standard practices of racecraft and to Pennsylvania from their home state racialization because it threatens the of Georgia (Davis). This practice long-standing ideology of white enables racialized people to cross the supremacy that rests on binary dichotomous color line, contrary to divisions and dichotomies and the notion of fixed binary racial instead embodies the shared descent categories of "either you are black or of the human race (Davis). you are not", and encourages them to Furthermore, passing sheds light on begin identifying with their white the racialization and the de- ancestry in search of freedom racialization of people for the (Davis). "Passing", thus, can be maintenance of dominance and understood as a source of social subordination based on visible racial power and strategy of social mobility divides of either being white or other within a capitalist system to escape (Davis). The practice of passing and racial oppression and access the ability of some racialized people previously inaccessible benefits, such to pass, but not others, therefore as higher social status, increased demonstrates how categorizations of access to rights, liberties, and race and racism as an institution rely privileges. To "pass" for white, one on arbitrary uses of racecraft and must have a light enough skin tone to racialization for the distribution of be identified as white by others, social and economic power, rather Published by Scholarship@Western, 2020 3 Sociological Imagination: Western's Undergraduate Sociology Student Journal, Vol. 6 [2020], Iss. 1, Art. 7 Piroshkova than specific biological or genetic be divided into a hierarchy of five traits that differentiate