The Psychosis of Whiteness
Surviving the Insanity of a Racist World
Published on 5. September 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-0-14-199238-9 (ISBN)
Description
'Witty, energising and refreshing' Jeffrey Boakye
Take a step through the looking-glass to a strange land, one where Piers Morgan is a voice worth listening to about race, where white people buy self-help books to help them cope with their whiteness, where Boris Johnson and Donald Trump are seen by the majority of the population as 'the right (white) man for the job'. Perhaps you know it. All the inhabitants seem to be afflicted by serious delusions, for example that racism doesn't exist and if it does it can be cured with a one-hour inclusion seminar, and bizarre collective hallucinations, like the widely held idea that Britain's only role in slavery was to abolish it.
But there is a serious side too. Society cannot face up to the racism at its heart and in its history, so the delusions, irrationalities and hallucinations it conjures up to avoid doing so can only best be described as a psychosis, with the costs being borne by the sons and daughters of that racist history. Living in a racist world is like living in a world that bears no resemblance to reality. Black and brown people suffer from a greater number of mental health difficulties too, caused in no small part by trying to survive a racist society.
Kehinde Andrews is your piercing, wry and not a little funny guide back to sanity, unpicking the absurd and outrageous lies society tells to keep up the status quo. The Psychosis of Whiteness is your lifeboat out of this topsy-turvy world.
Take a step through the looking-glass to a strange land, one where Piers Morgan is a voice worth listening to about race, where white people buy self-help books to help them cope with their whiteness, where Boris Johnson and Donald Trump are seen by the majority of the population as 'the right (white) man for the job'. Perhaps you know it. All the inhabitants seem to be afflicted by serious delusions, for example that racism doesn't exist and if it does it can be cured with a one-hour inclusion seminar, and bizarre collective hallucinations, like the widely held idea that Britain's only role in slavery was to abolish it.
But there is a serious side too. Society cannot face up to the racism at its heart and in its history, so the delusions, irrationalities and hallucinations it conjures up to avoid doing so can only best be described as a psychosis, with the costs being borne by the sons and daughters of that racist history. Living in a racist world is like living in a world that bears no resemblance to reality. Black and brown people suffer from a greater number of mental health difficulties too, caused in no small part by trying to survive a racist society.
Kehinde Andrews is your piercing, wry and not a little funny guide back to sanity, unpicking the absurd and outrageous lies society tells to keep up the status quo. The Psychosis of Whiteness is your lifeboat out of this topsy-turvy world.
Reviews / Votes
Kehinde Andrews' revelatory masterpiece bursts the bubble of pseudo-intellectual charm that surrounds and disguises the delusional philosophy of the racist societies we live in -- Danny Dorling The Psychosis of Whiteness serves as a testament to Kehinde Andrews' exceptional ability to shed light on the far-reaching mechanisms of racism -- David Lammy MP A crucial, incisive and highly accessible academic commentary on racism and the pernicious processes that keep it in place. For those lulled by the idea of progress, The Psychosis of Whiteness will tear the scales from their eyes -- Professor Nicola Rollock A phenomenal book - brilliant, revelatory, rebellious, rigorous, informative, entertaining and bloody funny. It has become one of my very favourite books. This is an important piece of work that will better our nation and better our understanding of this world -- Nels Abbey Compelling ... Kehinde Andrews's new book, The Psychosis of Whiteness, is as provocative as his frequent TV clashes with Piers Morgan ... and offers many rich observations -- Afua Hirsch * Observer * This is an important book, an honest book, and a book that anyone who disagrees with Kehinde would do well to read. I'm personally so grateful to Kehinde for presenting his experiences and insights in this way, because he offers a truly vital perspective on racism and racial inequity. For anyone seeking to empower themselves over a white supremacy that seeks to consume us all, this is genuinely an essential read. Witty, energising and refreshing, The Psychosis of Whiteness is a book of anti-racist activism from one of our most important thinkers in the field -- Jeffrey Boakye The inherent thinking and reasoning short circuits whiteness requires to sustain itself, have long been theorised but nowhere as accessibly, wittingly and humorously than in The Psychosis of Whiteness. A crucial contribution from Andrews to our epistemological understanding of racialised power, denialism and their operationalisation in society -- Guilaine Kinouani The Psychosis of Whiteness is a smart, essential and rational takedown of the myths that uphold white supremacy, and systems and people that promote it across our society -- Dipo Faloyin A book as thought provoking as its title. Kehinde Andrews continues to explore new areas of critical thinking, that while uncomfortable, is required in order for change to occur -- Yomi Sode Kehinde Andrews tells the truth to power. Courageous and very readable, this book is a remarkable and enriching work which shines a light on many dark places -- Ron RamdinMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 131 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
204 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-14-199238-9 (9780141992389)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2023
Penguin Books Ltd
€14.99
Available for download
Person
Kehinde Andrews is the UK's first professor of Black Studies, at Birmingham City University where he led the establishment of the first Black Studies programme in Europe, the Chair of the Harambee Organisation of Black Unity and editor in chief of Make It Plain. He is the author of The Psychosis of Whiteness, The New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule the World, and Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for the 21st Century.