I don't know, but I did a cursory search on the New York Times archives and found the usage of the term "racism" in a 1937 article about Nazis. Racism is in quotes in the article, which I think hints at it being a neologism or at least, not in common usage as to have an ambiguous meaning. There may be earlier uses that I missed. I think doing some more delving into the Times archives would be a good approach, as it would indicate mainstream usage of the term.
Webster's says the term originated in 1933 but I can't find what the source was. Maybe someone has access to the OED?
Google Books is another good online resource. I found this review of Ruth Benedict's Race: Science and Politics, published in 1940. It talks about race and seems to indicate race as a social construct, and mentions the function of class.
Good places to start-- thanks. Obviously (?) "race" is a much older idea, though it's changed with the times. But the idea of racism, yeah... Interesting context with Nazism, where it's clearly an institutional philosophy.
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Webster's says the term originated in 1933 but I can't find what the source was. Maybe someone has access to the OED?
Google Books is another good online resource. I found this review of Ruth Benedict's Race: Science and Politics, published in 1940. It talks about race and seems to indicate race as a social construct, and mentions the function of class.
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