Omi and Winant introduce the theory of racial formation to give an in-depth understanding of what race actually is and other underpinnings around race. They subvert the notion that race is a concept based on physicality or genetic makeup but which extends further into multiple spheres in society. Therefore if race is a construction determined by political, social, and economic forces then it is a fluid concept rather than static. Omi and Winant probe into this social construct through history to explain how racial formation fosters racial categories and eventually racial meanings. Thus, race as a political and social construction operates on the individual micro-level and the collective macro-level.
Accordingly, highlight the use of racial categories to assign identity in order to lessen the status of oppressed groups as a means of control. They utilize the political realm as a facilitator that transforms social meanings to have limiting effects on the marginalized groups. As a result, it allows for economic and social constraints in upward social mobility and economic gain. The author also argues through historical instances particularly colonization in which the concept was incorporated to justify discrimination and ethnic cleansing. Furthermore, the slave trade institution justified enslaving certain groups and not others due to racial meanings.
As racial formation is a fusion of both micro and macro levels, they play into each other to create the racial meanings. The individual identity impact self-perception and the social structure impose social expectations. Therefore if one level disrupts the expectations the other level imposes its structure. For instance, an individual stance to have an identity opposed to racial expectations might still face institutional racism.
