Race and Ethnicity

List of Race and Ethnicity articles

An illustration showing Cleopatra from the new Netflix documentary series "Queen Cleopatra," played by Black British actress Adele James.
An illustration showing Cleopatra from the new Netflix documentary series "Queen Cleopatra," played by Black British actress Adele James.

Why Netflix’s ‘Queen Cleopatra’ Has Egypt up in Arms

Western leaders and filmmakers have long denied the link between modern Egypt and its ancient heritage.

A man passes billboards of Nigerian films at a movie theater in Lagos on Feb. 19, 2019.
A man passes billboards of Nigerian films at a movie theater in Lagos on Feb. 19, 2019.

The Problem With Comparing Africa to Asia

Greater ethnic diversity, debt burdens, and democratized politics have complicated Africa’s path to development.

On Savage Shores: How Native Americans Discovered Europe, Caroline Dodds Pennock, Knopf, 320 pp., $32.50, January 2023
On Savage Shores: How Native Americans Discovered Europe, Caroline Dodds Pennock, Knopf, 320 pp., $32.50, January 2023

Who Can Tell Native Stories?

A new book on Natives journeying across the Atlantic reaches the outer limits of what European-style academic research can accomplish.

Israeli police confront protesters during ongoing demonstrations in Tel Aviv on March 23, against controversial legal reforms being touted by the country's hard-right government. JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images
Israeli police confront protesters during ongoing demonstrations in Tel Aviv on March 23, against controversial legal reforms being touted by the country's hard-right government. JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

What America’s Civil War Can Teach Us About Israel’s

Israeli protesters may not realize it yet, but the only way they can protect their own rights and democracy is by allying with Palestinians.

A Fulani displaced man works with his son to rebuild their hut in the camp for displaced people of Faladie in Bamako on April 29, 2020.
A Fulani displaced man works with his son to rebuild their hut in the camp for displaced people of Faladie in Bamako on April 29, 2020.

Ethnic Killings by West African Armies Are Undermining Regional Security

By joining hands with militias that target Fulani civilians, state forces risk sparking a wider conflict.

Performers in ethnic minority costumes dance in Beijing.
Performers in ethnic minority costumes dance in Beijing.

China’s Head of Ethnic Affairs Is Keen to End Minority Culture

Pan Yue is doubling down on the party’s hard-line policies.

A child looks on while being carried by a woman as migrants wait outside the officers of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Tunis on Feb. 27.
A child looks on while being carried by a woman as migrants wait outside the officers of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Tunis on Feb. 27.

Tunisia’s Kais Saied Is Doubling Down on Xenophobia

As the country’s financial crisis worsens and Saied’s popularity wanes, the president has decided to scapegoat Black migrants and condone violence against them.

A member of security for the Israeli Bracha settlement gestures amid clashes between settlers and Palestinians in Burin village, after settlers reportedly set cars on fire in the village in the occupied West Bank on Feb. 25.
A member of security for the Israeli Bracha settlement gestures amid clashes between settlers and Palestinians in Burin village, after settlers reportedly set cars on fire in the village in the occupied West Bank on Feb. 25.

Unconditional U.S. Support of Israel Fuels Jewish Extremist Violence

The Israeli far right sees Washington’s refusal to get tough on Benjamin Netanyahu’s government as a green light for ethnic cleansing.

The Department of State building, is seen on Apr. 20, 2020, in Washington.
The Department of State building, is seen on Apr. 20, 2020, in Washington.

The State Department’s Lack of Diversity Is Bad for U.S. Diplomacy

The Biden administration talks a good game, but it must do far more to promote a truly multiracial diplomatic corps.

A man walks past a mural depicting Labour Party  presidential candidate Peter Obi in Awka, Nigeria, on Feb. 24.
A man walks past a mural depicting Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi in Awka, Nigeria, on Feb. 24.

What Would It Mean for Nigeria to Elect an Igbo President?

Peter Obi doesn’t want to be defined by his ethnicity. But in a country still haunted by the Biafran War, his election would be a symbolic milestone.

Italian MP Aboubakar Soumahoro casts his ballot for the new president of the Chamber of Deputies in Rome.
Italian MP Aboubakar Soumahoro casts his ballot for the new president of the Chamber of Deputies in Rome.

Italy’s Only Black MP Is Tangled in In-Laws’ Migrant Exploitation Scandal

Aboubakar Soumahoro’s case has become a flashpoint for the right wing.

The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa's Racial Reckoning by Eve Fairbanks (Simon & Schuster, 416 pp., $27.99, July 2022).
The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa's Racial Reckoning by Eve Fairbanks (Simon & Schuster, 416 pp., $27.99, July 2022).

No Justice. No Peace.

Post-apartheid South Africa remains steeped in the “rainbow nation” ideals of reconciliation and forgiveness—but it has never truly reckoned with accountability.

A woman passes a mural supporting the Russian Federation in Mitrovica, Kosovo.
A woman passes a mural supporting the Russian Federation in Mitrovica, Kosovo.

In Northern Kosovo, Tensions Threaten to Boil Over

The Kosovo government’s laws on ID cards and license plates have enraged ethnic Serbs and heightened tensions between the young nation’s fractured communities.

An Israeli man walks past an electoral billboard bearing portraits of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flanked by far-right politicians Itamar Ben Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich and Michael Ben Ari, with a caption in Hebrew reading "Kahane Lives" in a reference to a banned ultranationalist party in Jerusalem, on March 29, 2019.
An Israeli man walks past an electoral billboard bearing portraits of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flanked by far-right politicians Itamar Ben Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich and Michael Ben Ari, with a caption in Hebrew reading "Kahane Lives" in a reference to a banned ultranationalist party in Jerusalem, on March 29, 2019.

What Makes Israel’s Far Right Different

The Religious Zionist Party’s rise isn’t about immigration, crime, or populist economics—it’s driven by Jewish supremacy and anti-Arab racism.

Far-right members attend the “Unite the Right” rally.
Far-right members attend the “Unite the Right” rally.

How ‘Screw Your Optics’ Became a Far-Right Rallying Cry

White supremacist terrorists have taken a page from the Islamic State’s playbook—discarding concerns about image and embracing shocking displays of public violence.

A drawing of Gina Abercrombie Winstanley, the State Department's chief diversity officer.
A drawing of Gina Abercrombie Winstanley, the State Department's chief diversity officer.

The Reformer

From a cork-walled office at the U.S. State Department, diversity chief Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley reveals her plan to vanquish the oldest boys club.

Mahsa Amini protest in Iran
Mahsa Amini protest in Iran

How Iran’s Ethnic Divisions Are Fueling the Revolt

Non-Persian minorities, often overlooked in the West, may hold the key to the uprising’s course.

People are seen walking on the streets of Sarajevo
People are seen walking on the streets of Sarajevo

Meet the Bosnian Youth Trying to Hold Their Country Together

Postwar Bosnia remains deeply divided. These young people are trying to change that.

Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, leader of Myanmar’s junta, attends a ceremony to mark the 71st anniversary of Martyrs’ Day in Yangon on July 19, 2018.
Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, leader of Myanmar’s junta, attends a ceremony to mark the 71st anniversary of Martyrs’ Day in Yangon on July 19, 2018.

The Built-In Brutality of Myanmar’s Military

Ignoring what everyone else thinks is part of the junta’s mindset.

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