Meaning & use
racialize
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To treat or describe a group, issue, or situation in terms of race, often when race was not previously considered relevant.
Grammar: Takes an object: racialize a debate. Often used in the passive: the issue was racialized.
Patterns
- racialize something
- racialize a group
- be racialized as something
Critics say the media racialized the crime by focusing on the suspect's ethnicity.
The policy was racialized in practice, even though it did not mention race.
She argues that language tests can racialize students from immigrant backgrounds.
verbtransitiveformal
To give a racial character or meaning to something.
Grammar: Often used in the passive to describe how something has come to be seen through a racial lens.
Patterns
- racialize an issue
- racialize a concept
The debate became racialized after comments about immigration were made.
Some scholars believe that poverty is too often racialized in public discussion.
Word forms
| third person singular | racializes |
|---|---|
| past tense | racialized |
| past participle | racialized |
| -ing form | racializing |
Common combinations
- racialize an issue
- Politicians sometimes racialize an issue to gain support.
- be racialized as
- The group was racialized as outsiders by the majority.
- racialized language
- The report criticized the racialized language used in the debate.
Synonyms and how they differ
- racialize
- There is no exact everyday synonym; 'racialize' is the standard term in sociology for this process.
Word family
- racialization noun
- The process of racializing something.
- racialized adjective
- Describing something that has been given a racial character.
Commonly confused: racialize or racial?
racialize vs racial
Racial is an adjective meaning 'relating to race'; racialize is a verb meaning to make something about race.
Practice
The documentary was criticized for ______ the conflict by focusing only on ethnic differences.
Choose one answer.
The verb 'racializing' fits after 'for' and before the object 'the conflict'. 'Racial' is an adjective and cannot take an object, 'racialized' would be a past participle but the sentence needs an -ing form after 'for', and 'racialization' is a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “racialize”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.