INTRODUCTION: ENHANCING THE VISIBILITY OF SEEN AND UNSEEN RACISMS

The introductory chapter, “Visibilizing Unseen Racisms,” delves into the fluidity of race as a sociopolitical construct, oscillating between visibility and invisibility. Critiquing the Eurocentric bias in race studies, the chapter advocates for recognizing racialization’s global nuances, which encompass not only physical traits but also ancestry as well as sociocultural and sensory factors. It presents race as a “floating signifier,” a variable tool influenced by ideologies like nationalism and classism, pivotal in shaping social practices that perpetuate oppressive power relations. The authors call for a reevaluation of race, highlighting the diverse forms of racialization and the arbitrary nature of racial categorization. The chapter concludes with an appeal for international scholarly collaboration to delve deeper into the global complexities of racism and thereby enrich race studies.