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White by Law 10th Anniversary Edition: The Legal Construction of Race (Critical America Book 16) 2nd Edition, Kindle Edition

by Ian Haney López (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 176 ratings
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“Remains the definitive work on how American law constructed a ‘white’ race at the turn of the twentieth century . . . A must-read.” —Mae M. Ngai, author of Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America
 
The first book to fully explore the social and specifically legal construction of race, White by Law inspired a generation of critical race theorists and others interested in the intersection of race and law in American society. Today, it is used and cited widely by not only legal scholars but many others interested in race, ethnicity, culture, politics, gender, and similar socially fabricated facets of American society.
 
In the first edition, Ian Haney López traced the reasoning employed by the courts in their efforts to justify the whiteness of some and the non-whiteness of others, and revealed the criteria that were used, often arbitrarily, to determine whiteness, and thus citizenship: skin color, facial features, national origin, language, culture, ancestry, scientific opinion, and, most importantly, popular opinion.
 
Ten years after the book’s publication, Haney López revisits the legal construction of race, and argues that current race law has spawned a troubling racial ideology that perpetuates inequality under a new guise: colorblind white dominance. In a new essay written specifically for the 10th anniversary edition, he explores this racial paradigm and explains how it contributes to a system of white racial privilege socially and legally defended by restrictive definitions of what counts as race and as racism, and what doesn't, in the eyes of the law. The book also includes a new preface, in which Haney Lopez considers how his own personal experiences with white racial privilege helped engender White by Law.
 
“A fine contribution to important debates.”—The American Journal of Legal History

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  1. ISBN-13
    978-0814736944
  2. Edition
    2nd
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    NYU Press
  5. Publication date
    October 29, 2006
  6. Language
    English
  7. File size
    2299 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"White by Law's thoughtful analysis of the prerequisite cases offers support for the fundamental critical race theory tenet that race is a social construct reinforced by law. Haney Lopez has blazed a trail for those exploring the legal and social constructions of race in the United States." ― Berkeley Women's Law Journal

"Henry Lopez has provided a piece of scholarship worthy of brining out for a curtain call on its 10th anniversary." ― The Law and Politics Book Review

"Whiteness pays. As White by Law shows, immigrants recognized the value of whiteness and sometimes petitioned the courts to be recognized as white. Haney Lopez argues for the centrality of law in constructing race." ― Voice Literary Supplement

About the Author

Ian Haney López is Professor of Law at Boalt Hall and author of White by Law (NYU Press) and Racism on Trial.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002D9ZML8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ NYU Press; 2nd edition (October 29, 2006)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 29, 2006
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2299 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 176 ratings

About the author

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Ian Haney López

Ian Haney López

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Ian Haney López was born and raised in Hawaii to a father from Washington (the Haney part) and a mother from El Salvador (the López side). He teaches constitutional law at the University of California, Berkeley, and has a special interest in how racism has evolved over the last five decades. In “Dog Whistle Politics” (2014), Ian explained the tactics used by the Republican Party since Richard Nixon to win votes by stoking racial anxiety, thereby tilling the ground for Donald Trump. In his most recent book, “Merge Left,” he shows how to neutralize coded racism in politics and build a multiracial progressive future. Ian holds an endowed chair as the Earl Warren Professor of Public Law at the University of California, Berkeley.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
176 global ratings
A most honestly enthralling book...
5 Stars
A most honestly enthralling book...
with a hint of apologist language within its pages! Of course, Ian Lopez couldn't go full assault on "whiteness" and "white" people in this book; of course, the folks who edited this book were, of course, not only his colleagues and were/are also "white" people; but, they are also "white." He gives historical context to what we're living today dealing with "race" and racism, and that was the starting point to his attack against the present system which is rooted in the not too far, distant past. This gives him a lot of leeway to attack the existing system which is of course rooted in the past without attacking his "white" colleagues who I'm sure to benefit from the existing system as it exists today. They can all go and cry about how badly black people have it without actively deconstructing the system that has enriched them; allowed them to make a safe life for themselves and their children, and allow the system to go on as is as well as their wonderful lives! This book is a definite read, but I'd read Ashley Montagu's book Man Most Dangerous Myth, the Fallacy of Race before picking this one up! It will give you an in-depth perspective sort of like a general preview, sort of like an umbrella of knowledge as well as deep dive of the fraudulent concept as well as the plastic concept of "race" and "whiteness."
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Top reviews from the United States

Chatty
5.0 out of 5 stars A most honestly enthralling book...
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2021
Verified Purchase
with a hint of apologist language within its pages! Of course, Ian Lopez couldn't go full assault on "whiteness" and "white" people in this book; of course, the folks who edited this book were, of course, not only his colleagues and were/are also "white" people; but, they are also "white." He gives historical context to what we're living today dealing with "race" and racism, and that was the starting point to his attack against the present system which is rooted in the not too far, distant past. This gives him a lot of leeway to attack the existing system which is of course rooted in the past without attacking his "white" colleagues who I'm sure to benefit from the existing system as it exists today. They can all go and cry about how badly black people have it without actively deconstructing the system that has enriched them; allowed them to make a safe life for themselves and their children, and allow the system to go on as is as well as their wonderful lives! This book is a definite read, but I'd read Ashley Montagu's book Man Most Dangerous Myth, the Fallacy of Race before picking this one up! It will give you an in-depth perspective sort of like a general preview, sort of like an umbrella of knowledge as well as deep dive of the fraudulent concept as well as the plastic concept of "race" and "whiteness."
Customer image
Chatty
5.0 out of 5 stars A most honestly enthralling book...
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2021
with a hint of apologist language within its pages! Of course, Ian Lopez couldn't go full assault on "whiteness" and "white" people in this book; of course, the folks who edited this book were, of course, not only his colleagues and were/are also "white" people; but, they are also "white." He gives historical context to what we're living today dealing with "race" and racism, and that was the starting point to his attack against the present system which is rooted in the not too far, distant past. This gives him a lot of leeway to attack the existing system which is of course rooted in the past without attacking his "white" colleagues who I'm sure to benefit from the existing system as it exists today. They can all go and cry about how badly black people have it without actively deconstructing the system that has enriched them; allowed them to make a safe life for themselves and their children, and allow the system to go on as is as well as their wonderful lives! This book is a definite read, but I'd read Ashley Montagu's book Man Most Dangerous Myth, the Fallacy of Race before picking this one up! It will give you an in-depth perspective sort of like a general preview, sort of like an umbrella of knowledge as well as deep dive of the fraudulent concept as well as the plastic concept of "race" and "whiteness."
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7 people found this helpful
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Tim K
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2023
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Profound and enlightening. The book's basic claim is that race is socially constructed and that law and policies have shaped the contours of racial categories. Far from being something "out there" in the world that we merely read off, the boundaries of racial categories and the categories themselves shift and change, all due to racial prejudices (what he calls the "common knowledge" understanding, as opposed to "scientific). Haney Lopez focuses on the early twentieth century because this is where its most pronounced. But he does an excellent job of connecting it to current practices (especially the new final chapter). It's through these early cases that racial categorization becomes constructed and cemented in society, law, and social practices.

I'd highly recommend reading this along with "The History of White People" by Nell Irvin Painter
4 people found this helpful
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Fan143
5.0 out of 5 stars Very important book with information not available elsewhere
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2021
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I had heard of this book previously but with so much to read, including new publications, I didn't plan to order it, but the book kept getting mentioned, so I went ahead and ordered it. I couldn't stop reading it because it was so interesting, and although I have read a great deal about these types of issues, I found this book and the specific information provided to be very enlightening and helped fill in gaps for me. Very worth the read.
3 people found this helpful
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David J.
5.0 out of 5 stars Technical but still very easy to read book
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2022
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Even though this is a book written by a lawyer I found it easy to understand. The author writes well and makes a good case for why race is a social construct, from the perspective of US law.
3 people found this helpful
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antonio
4.0 out of 5 stars Actually a great read, very eye opening and totaly worth every ...
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2016
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Actually a great read, very eye opening and totaly worth every penny. The reason I knock one star down is because it has a black smudge on the top left and has the first couple pages bent at the top.
4 people found this helpful
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Russell Hendlin
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and deeply disturbing
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2018
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Lays out with disturbing accuracy and detail the many ways in which our courts have supported and defined race as a criteria for immigration and other discriminatory law. Makes clear that "white" is defined as good and the absence of all the "bad" qualities of black, Asian, brown and Native American peoples. Shocking, if not too surprising, to read details of state and federal supreme court decisions. So much more than I had realized. Well researched and well written.
12 people found this helpful
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Kenny Roberson
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Legal History
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2021
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What I particularly like about this book is it’s focus on Supreme Court doctrine. The cases used in this book showcase the extreme contradictions and hypocrisy embedded in the construction of the White race.
5 people found this helpful
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Becki
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read.
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2019
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Every American should read this book. Haney López did an excellent job using case precedents to illustrate how race has been socially constructed and how white supremacy has been reinforced throughout American history.
9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Jan
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic analysis
Reviewed in Canada on December 24, 2018
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A very in-depth analysis proving his hypothesis. This is an indispensable book to have in your personal library if you care about race and racism in America.
One person found this helpful
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