A Controversial, But Welcome New Perspective on Structural Racism in Dutch Society ... : Eine kontroverse, doch fruchtbare neue Perspektive auf strukturellen Rassismus in der niederländischen Gesellschaft ...

In White Innocence: Paradoxes of Colonialism and Race (2016), Gloria Wekker studies the white Dutch sense of self, which to her revolves around a self-proclaimed innocence: i.e. the claim that The Netherlands is free of racism. Whenever this identity is questioned, Wekker sees a tendency in society to aggressively defend this sense of innocence. Such protective mechanisms, paradoxically, often come in the shape of racism. Throughout five chapters, she discusses such paradoxical racism, as it appears in different layers of society: the national media, bureaucratic organizations, academia, polit... Mehr ...