Originally published in 1997 in the United States, "The Racial Contract" is a seminal work now translated into French for the first time. Philosopher Charles W. Mills exposes the flaws of the social contract, which is, above all, a racial contract. This contract has shaped the system of European domination that establishes whites as full persons and non-whites as sub-persons. Charles W. Mills places racial justice at the center of his analyses. Rejecting the idea of the social contract, Mills instead discusses the racial contract, in which the racial order creates the foundations of our societies, the perpetuation of privileges, and domination.

This edition features a new preface by the author, Charles W. Mills, written to mark the 25th anniversary of the book’s publication. The Racial Contract is a must-read. Contemporary anti-racist movements owe a great deal to Charles W. Mills.