Charles Mills, The Racial Contract, p. 9-133 (Week 10 Reading)

Racial Contract

An unspoken agreement among white people to classify nonwhite people as inferior and organize society for white advantage.

Hierarchy of Personhood

The system that recognizes white people as full persons entitled to rights, while nonwhite groups are treated as less than fully human.

White Supremacy

A global political system shaped by European colonial expansion that distributes power and resources according to race.

Subpersons

Groups denied full personhood and legal protections, often including enslaved Africans and Indigenous peoples.

Epistemology of Ignorance

A system that encourages misunderstanding or ignoring racial oppression, benefiting the maintenance of racial domination.

Economic Exploitation

The historical accumulation of wealth by modern states through racial exploitation, including slavery and colonial extraction.

Moral Exclusion

The practice of selectively applying moral principles, often reserving ideals like liberty and rights for white populations.

Political Philosophy Critique

Mills's argument that mainstream political philosophy neglects the implications of race on social contract theories.

State and Racial Hierarchy

The role of government in enforcing racial inequality through laws that favor white populations.

Continuing Legacy of the Racial Contract

The ongoing effects of racial exploitation that manifest in contemporary inequalities despite the decline of explicit racial domination.

Inclusive Social Contract

The aim to replace the hidden racial agreement with a social contract that recognizes universal human equality.