Introduction:Who's at the bottom? Examining claims about racial hierarchy

Why do claims about racial hierarchy matter? The question whether some

groups are worse off than others is highly pertinent at a time when there is

growing recognition of multiple forms of racisms and racial oppression. It

is widely accepted that racial hierarchies are still with us today, and this

concept is peppered throughout writings on ‘‘race’’ and racisms, but,

what, exactly, are racial hierarchies, how do racial hierarchies continue to

matter, and in what ways do they operate? This special issue, which

focuses on the USA and Britain, also addresses the following questions:

Does the concept of racial hierarchy aid us in illuminating racial

inequalities and the differential experiences of groups in Western multiethnic

societies such as the USA and Britain? What sorts of criteria are

used in arguments about the place of groups along racial hierarchies?

What are the political implications of claims made about racial

hierarchies?