Eduardo Bonilla Silva

Eduardo Bonilla-Silva is the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Duke University and a leading scholar on race and racism in the United States. Bonilla-Silva first gained recognition in the social sciences with his American Sociological Review article, "Rethinking Racism: Toward a Structural Interpretation," which encouraged analysts to study racial issues structurally rather than focusing solely on individual prejudice. This work established a foundation for a career centered on research into the nature and persistence of racial inequality in America.

Bonilla-Silva's book, "Racism Without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States," is widely regarded as a foundational text in the field of sociology. The book introduces the concept of color-blind racism, arguing that systemic racism continues to shape the United States even as overtly racist behavior declines. "Racism Without Racists" has influenced scholars in education, political science, psychology, legal studies, and religious studies, and has received the Choice Award twice. Bonilla-Silva has also authored and co-edited several other works, including "White Supremacy and Racism in the Post-Civil Rights Era," "White Out: The Continuing Significance of Racism," "White Logic, White Methods: Racism and Methodology" with Tukufu Zuberi, and "State of White Supremacy: Racism, Governance, and the United States."

Throughout his career, Bonilla-Silva has received honors recognizing his theoretical contributions and commitment to research on racial inequality. He has been awarded the Lewis Coser Award from the Theory Section of the American Sociological Association for theoretical agenda-setting, the Cox-Johnson-Frazier Award from the ASA for scholarship and mentoring on racial issues, and the W.E.B. Du Bois Career of Distinguished Scholarship Award from the ASA. "Racism Without Racists" and "White Logic, White Methods" each co-won the Oliver C. Cox Award for outstanding books on race and ethnicity.

Bonilla-Silva has served as president of both the Southern Sociological Society and the American Sociological Association, contributing to the discipline's engagement with issues of race, democracy, and inclusion. His research on systemic racism, color-blind ideology, and the structural roots of racial inequality continues to inform public discourse and remains essential reading for those seeking to understand the persistence of racial inequality in contemporary American society.