Against the backdrop of collaborative antiracist struggle, this paper considers knowledge about race constructed by contemporary ethnic studies. Examining narratives of self, history and purpose produced by ethnic studies, it argues that these narratives highlight processes of racialization at the level of received ethnic groups while eliding cross‐group processes. It argues that the hyper‐visibility of racialization at the level of distinct groups, coupled with the invisibility of cross‐group processes, creates a “group effect” which has significant implications for alliance‐building and solidarity. It ends with a discussion of some possibilities for countering the group effect.