Der Racial Contract

The "Racial Contract," Charles W. Mills' groundbreaking book first published in 1997 and now available in complete English translation, puts classical Western contract theory to the test. With a comprehensive look at European expansion policies and racism over the past 500 years, Mills demonstrates how the idea of the "Racial Contract" has established the foundation for Europe's global dominance and how the categories of "white" and "non-white" were created as a result. Mills challenges the assertion that Western philosophy is inherently universal in this award-winning book. Just as feminist theory has already highlighted the implicit norm of white masculinity in orthodox political philosophies, Mills sheds entirely new light on the implicit normative assumptions of these philosophies regarding "race.".