Civil ordering, antiracism and the dilemmatic promise of racial eliminativism

This article theorises racial eliminativism and civil ordering operating in combination as ongoing processes to eradicate race and counteract racism. Racial eliminativism and civil ordering are initially explicated as complementary ideational and institutional provisions. The paper then develops this interchange between racial eliminativism and civil order in three sections. Section 1 assesses the salience of legal definitions of race and its status as a protected characteristic, questioning whether protection should be afforded to racial persons or against racism. Section 2 examines the implications of defining and addressing abuse in racial terms. This is then related to civil order focusing on criminalising racist abuse. Section 3 evaluates the coherence of racial justice. Instead, the article raises the objective of pursuing antiracist justice in relation to civil ordering. In conclusion, the article advocates using racial eliminativism in conjunction with civil ordering to deliver an authentic form of social justice to all citizens.