With his analysis of "ontological branding," Bonard Iván Molina García illuminates the ways that racial power is exercised without the intent or decision of any actor at all, as just part of what is taken for granted within the dominant mode of consciousness that Molina García unpacks so well. Molina García's central idea, that being itself is central to and a factor in the grammar of racial ideology, draws on difficult philosophical concepts that he renders both accessible and compelling. Molina García makes important contributions to the study of how race works in a liberal society that proclaims itself colorblind. Ontological Branding is a powerful and sophisticated new work of critical race theory.

Gary Peller, Georgetown University

A thoughtful, occasionally personal take on the complex and perennial problems of racial identity, subordination, and law. Using a classic philosophical approach to theories of being, Bonard Molina García invites us to think about what is so special about being a person, and therefore what is so destructive about the legacy and burdens of racism.

Alexandra Natapoff, Harvard Law School

Ontological Branding offers some important insights on the superstructure of inequality in America and beyond, demonstrating how racism and other forms of oppression can persist beyond the conscious acts of malicious individuals. Here is a framework worth expanding upon in future scholarship, especially as regards the role of class throughout history, given that the bodies of serfs or the proletariat were literally regarded as tools for their rulers and employers. Molina García offers a real model for the application of Heidegger’s tool ontology far beyond matters of race and American history, potentially reshaping how we regard the nature of oppression at large.

Marx and Philosophy Review of Books