A case for embedding structural analyses of race and racism in comparative and international education

Race and racism are global historically-shaped structures that affecteducational systems and practices across the world. Thus, they shouldbe key concerns of comparative and international education (CIE) –a position that is increasingly recognised within the field. In this paper,we explore the possibilities and resources of three interlinked analy-tical perspectives – racialisation, racial states, and colonial racial capit-alism – for the field of CIE. We discuss how these perspectives generateimportant insights into the formation of racial meanings, the politicallegitimisation of racial hierarchies, and the economies of racial dispos-session. We explore the workings of these dynamics across differentcontexts, in relation to: Islamophobia and casteism in India; anti-Romaracism in Romania; and the dehumanising forces of the global aidindustry. In doing so, we show how these analytical resources can offera sustained excavation of the structural workings of race and racism ineducation globally.