Ekow Eshun is a writer and a curator of art exhibitions. He looks at the images and ideas that we use to build our view of the world – and, as a black man living in a mainly white society, he’s been thinking about race all his life. In this series, he’s on a personal journey to explore what he believes could be one of the most influential and elusive ideas of the modern age – whiteness.

In this final episode, Ekow asks whether we can live without whiteness. He speaks to writers Bernadine Evarasto, Nikesh Shukla, and Ronan Bennett to investigate the notion of white privilege. And he finds out how ideas of race and class percolate into politics, with Robert Halfon MP and former ministerial advisor Peter Cardwell.

Ekow discovers how ideas about whiteness have changed over time and how they’re likely to change again. Finally, he returns to his friend, the artist Grayson Perry, to talk about the importance of curiosity and openness in moving beyond the fraught politics of whiteness.

Producer: Philly Beaumont
Executive Producer: John Shields
A Loftus Media production for Radio 4

Artwork inspired by The Late Estate of Broomberg and Chanarin