Inspired by Anthony Marx’s thesis that "States make Race," the authors show how race regimes worked in Australia, Canada, South Africa, and the United States. The main argument is that race is a defining characteristic of politics and has played, and continues to play, a central role in the political systems of present-day societies.

This is a book that inserts race as a core element in the political science paradigm, as it addresses the questions of why and how race became a central aspect of contemporary politics.