--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This renewed politics of otherness not…" description: "\"“This renewed politics of otherness not only allowed entire categories of poor whites to develop a powerful sense of racial belonging, but also allowed..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ef/derrick-bell-16993_politics_this-renewed-politics-of-otherness-not-o_969714.jpg" --- # This renewed politics of otherness not only allowed entire… ![“This renewed politics of otherness not only allowed entire categories of poor whites to develop a powerful sense of racial belonging, but also allowed entire categories of erstwhile nonwhite immigrants (the Irish are the most prominent example) to become white.” quote by Derrick Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ef/derrick-bell-16993_politics_this-renewed-politics-of-otherness-not-o_969714.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ef/derrick-bell-16993_politics_this-renewed-politics-of-otherness-not-o_969714.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ef/derrick-bell-16993_politics_this-renewed-politics-of-otherness-not-o_969714.jpg) > ““This renewed politics of otherness not only allowed entire categories of poor whites to develop a powerful sense of racial belonging, but also allowed entire categories of erstwhile nonwhite immigrants (the Irish are the most prominent example) to become white.”” [Derrick Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-bell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. White identity formed by excluding others, allowing some groups to become “white” through social reclassification. **In simple terms:** Whiteness built on exclusion. Key Takeaway Recognize constructed racial categories. Themes race identity social hierarchy Mood critical analytical Type academic political When to use this quote - political discourse - immigration policy Key Concepts critical race theory social construction Questions to Reflect On - How do social definitions of race change over time? - What impact does this have on policy? A Different Perspective The claim may oversimplify complex historical processes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Immigrants Irish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrants-irish-1853413/) [Nonwhite Immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonwhite-immigrants-1853412/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Politics Otherness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics-otherness-1853410/) [Racial Belonging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racial-belonging-1853411/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Whites Develop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whites-develop-1853409/) ## Related quotes > [“What neither Warren nor most of the rest of us recognized was that segregation was not, as Nirej Sekhorn put it, simply a "taint"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-bell/what-neither-warren-nor-most-of-the-rest-of-us-recognized-was-that/) [Derrick Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-bell/) > [“The Portland school board's policy equated integration and racial assimilation. 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