Teun Van Dijk presents a new theory of ideology that provides an important theoretical bridge between the micro and macro structures of society. The theory is able to explain how ideologies function in society.

This volume takes a critical approach to the study of prejudice and discrimination by focusing on the role of elites in the reproduction of racism. Van Dijk's main thesis is that racism in North America and Europe is primarily 'top down' and preformulated by the elites, and is not only - as the elites would have it - a 'popular' phenomenon. The book opens with a wide-ranging study of the ways parliamentarians in the Netherlands, Germany, France, the UK and the USA debate immigration, refugees and civil rights, subtly contributing to the negative image of minorities. It goes on to examine how...

First Published in 1987. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.