Sexual Racism and Its Discontents: Critical Perspectives on the Racialization of Desire

Sexual racism, the racialization of desire through practices of racial exclusion or fetishization that both represent and reproduce racial hierarchies in the larger society within intimate relationships, has become one of the most pervasive yet underacknowledged manifestations of contemporary racism. First introduced by Charles Stembler in 1976 and substantially expanded in recent decades, sexual racism now anchors a growing body of academic works spanning sociology, critical race theory, queer studies, public health, and new media scholarship. This article provides a critical overview of the concept, its historical emergence, its sociological significance, the current state of research, critiques of key limitations and unresolved tensions in the field, and directions for future inquiry.