Sentence:  Frequent statements of the kind “'Race' is not a <WSD>thing</WSD>”, “'races,' put simply, do not exist”, “'race' (as each essay subtly shows) simply does not exist” aim to discredit Todorov's claim that a relapse to an ontology of race is at place ... 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A genuine concept, entity or phenomenon; something that actually exists (contrary to expectation or belief). (from 21st c.)