Locating and dislodging race as a construct: an ongoing project

Abstract

In a recent workshop and seminar, HSRC CEO Crain Soudien challenged social scientists to explore why racism has such traction; why the idea of race, despite its scientific invalidation, remains so ingrained and psychologically appealing. Charting the history of race, and of counter-narratives that emerged in South Africa in the 1930s, Soudien made a plea to acknowledge the very real impacts of racism, while breaking the construct that perpetuates it.