When White People Became “White People”

An origin story.

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How exactly did white people become “white” people?

It seems like most white people have no idea about how they came to identify as “white”. That’s a problem. Overlooking this part of our history, I think, means white people can misunderstand ongoing critiques of white identity politics in today’s culture wars.

So, I’ve broken it down in this bite-sized video:

 

One key fact that tends to slip our minds is that the concept of whiteness, as a racial identity, didn’t even exist until the mid-17th century. Sure, lighter-skinned people were around, but they identified more with their respective nationalities—be it English, Dutch, or Greek—than with a broader, pan-European “white” identity.

To navigate this complexity, I leaned heavily on the scholarly insights from Dr. Nell Painter’s bestselling book, “The History of White People.” In it, she demonstrates how the concept of whiteness was largely a reaction to Blackness, an identity which colonizers and enslavers linked with inferiority—giving birth to the myth of whiteness, by associating it with notions of moral purity, superiority, and destined rule.

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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