White Tears/Brown Scars

When white people cry foul, it is often people of colour who suffer. White tears have a potency that silences racial minorities. White Tears/Brown Scars blows open the inconvenient truth that when it comes to race, white entitlement is too often masked by victimhood. Never is this more obvious than in the dealings between women of colour and white women.

What happens when racism and sexism collide? Ruby Hamad provides some confronting answers and offers a crucial update to her groundbreaking work, reflecting in a new introduction on how the behaviour of individuals is mirrored by institutions of power, which can be seen in current political events.

'Hamad has written a devastating analysis of "the white damsel" and the way her tears and dual status are routinely weaponised against much of the globe. If (racial) ignorance is bliss, then this book is a shattering of some supremely comfortable white illusions about race and gender, in Australia and beyond.'
— Melissa Lucashenko

'Hamad's razor-sharp observational skills and wide-ranging approach make this an essential addition to the modern feminist canon.'
— Publisher's Weekly

White Tears/Brown Scars is a stunning and thorough look at White womanhood that should be required reading. Hamad's controlled urgency makes the book an illuminating and poignant read.
— Rosa Boshier, The Washington Post

In breaking down examples from history and from her own life as an Arab woman working in Australian media, Hamad offers a haunting but powerful reading of white feminism and its lasting impacts on marginalised communities.
— Time Magazine

'For readers truly interested in dismantling white supremacy, this is a must-read.'
— Kirkus Reviews