Founder of whiteness studies surveys the race-class relationship

Seen as a key figure in the critical study of whiteness, US historian David Roediger has sometimes received criticism, and praise, alleging that he left Marxism behind in order to work on questions of identity. This volume collects his recent and new work implicitly and explicitly challenging such a view. In his historical studies of the intersections of race, settler colonialism, and slavery, in his major essay (with Elizabeth Esch) on race and the management of labour, in his detailing of the origins of critical studies of whiteness within Marxism, and in his reflections on the history of solidarity, Roediger argues that racial division is part of not only of the history of capitalism but also of the logic of capital.

"On Wages of Whiteness:

The Celestine Prophecy of whiteness studies." - SPIN

"On Wages of Whiteness:



An extremely important and insightful book." - The Nation

"On How Race Survived US History:

A pithy little book ... Remind[s] us that whiteness was built over centuries on a foundation of deceit and confusion and disguised political imperatives." - The New Yorker

" On How Race Survived US History:

Starred Review. This rousing, thought-provoking history illuminates the enveloping 400-year-old history of race in America, and the issues [Roediger] raises are as relevant as ever." - Publishers Weekly

"Excellent" - Counterpunch

"A wealth of interesting historical insights and a breath of fresh air for anyone who feels there is a space to be found between the caricatures that "Tumblr social justice warriors" and "old white men of the left" paint of each other." - Morning Star

"David Roediger wades into the fray with refreshing nuance and generosity." - In These Times

"Roediger's book couldn't have appeared at a more timely moment." - Brooklyn Rail

"A scintillating compilation...Roediger's book explains exactly why even the most sickening atavisms of racism are fully compatible with the capitalist order, with ramifications into the 21st century." - Against the Current