Colorblind racism has two related meanings. On the one hand, it refers to the specifics of how white supremacy has reconfigured itself in the post-Civil Rights Era at the individual level. On the other hand, it is a specific theory describing how the practice of colorblind racism works.
It touches on all three realms addressed by social dominance theory (SDT)--attitudes, practices and legitimating myths--which I discuss along with colorblind racism in my diary "Colorblind Racism: The Missing Framework For The Missing Teachable Moment". However, it is the third realm--legitimating myths--that is central to its explanatory power. What it more, its influence as an integrated set of legitimating myths can be seen as facilitating a range of other sorts of white supremacist practice. In his book, Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States, Eduardo Bonilla-Silva identifies four central frames at the core of colorblind racism: "The central component of any dominant racial ideology is its frames or set paths for interpreting information," Bonilla-Silva writes. These four are:
(1) Abstract liberalism.
The frame of abstract liberalism involves using ideas associated with political liberalism (e.g. "equal opportunity," the idea that force should not be used to achieve social policy) and economic liberalism (e.g., choice, individualism) in an abstract manner to explain racial matters.
(2) Naturalization.
Naturalization is a frame that allows whites to explain away racial phenomena by suggesting they are natural occurrences.
(3) Cultural Racism.
Cultural racism is a frame that relies on culturally based arguments such as "Mexicans do not put much emphasis on education" or "blacks have too many babies" to explain the standing of minorities in society.
(4) Minimization of Racism
Minimization of racism is a frame that suggests discrimination is no longer a central factor affecting minorities' life chances ("It's better now than in the past" or "There is discrimination, but there are plenty of jobs out there).
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