What can we better understand by thinking of racism spiritually, as well? First, we should define what we mean by thinking of racism spiritually. We are social scientists, not religious leaders, so when we talk about thinking spiritually about racism we do not mean urging people to repent. Rather, thinking about racism through a spiritual lens means centering the way that it functions spiritually in people’s lives. For example, there is a feeling of collective effervescence—the power that people derive from a sense of belonging to a group. In our context, that means focusing on the collective
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