ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the reparations movement in the larger context of contemporary patterns of racial oppression and current forms of racist culture. It associates these patterns with the emergence of advanced capitalism or post-Fordism, which explains the growth of concentrated poverty and the persistence of racial inequality. The chapter outlines the forms of state repression and briefly describes contemporary racist culture. It discusses a reassessment of the reparations movement. The political isolation and powerlessness of African Americans was a major obstacle to a reparations movement. The civil rights movement exposed and de-legitimized many images and symbols of the older forms of racism. Contemporary racism is metaracism which is associated with post-Fordism, the dominant mode of exploiting labor, which contributes to the growth of concentrated poverty in inner cities. The success of any political movement depends on its ability to construct a counterideology, effective enough to undermine the legitimacy of the dominant culture/ideology.
