Beyond the Pale: White Women, Racism, and History [Paperback]

How have ideas about white women figured in the history of racism? Vron Ware argues that they have been central, and that feminism has, in many ways, developed as a political movement within racist societies. Dissecting the different meanings of femininity and womanhood,Beyond the Paleexamines the political connections between black and white women, both within contemporary racism and feminism, as well as in historical examples like the anti-slavery movement and the British campaign against lynching in the United States.Beyond the Paleis a major contribution to anti-racist work, confronting the historical meanings of whiteness as a way of overcoming the moralism that so often infuses anti-racist movements.“Vron Ware’sBeyond the Paleis not a breath of fresh air, it’s a blast.”
—Women’s History Review

“One of Ware’s … most striking case-studies.”
—London Review of BooksVron Wareis a Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at Kingston University, UK. Her books includeOut of Whiteness: Colour, Politics, and Culture(with Les Back),Who Cares about Britishness?andMilitary Migrants: Fighting for YOUR country.US