White supremacy as an institution: an analysis of power mechanisms

The text analyzes white supremacy not as a sum of individual prejudices, but as a lasting institution and power relation. The author introduces the concept of the 'legacy effect,' explaining how historical privileges and exclusions shape current material resources without the need for current discriminatory intent. The article distinguishes personal guilt from collective responsibility and emphasizes the role of intersectionality—pointing out that whiteness is not a uniform experience, but capital that affects the probability of success within systems. The analysis also covers the concept of 'racial capitalism' and structural racism, arguing that the market can both perpetuate and destabilize racial hierarchies, depending on specific institutional and legal frameworks.