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America’s New Racial Battle Lines: Protect versus Repair
A sobering portrait of the United States’s divided racial politics. For nearly two decades, Rogers M. Smith and Desmond King have charted the shifting racial policy alliances that have shaped American politics across different eras. In America’s New Racial Battle Lines , they show that US racial policy debates are undergoing fundamental change. Disputes over colorblind versus race-conscious policies have given way to new lines of conflict. Today’s conservatives promise to protect traditionalist, predominantly white, Christian Americans against what they call the “radical” Left. Meanwhile, today’s progressives seek not just to integrate American institutions but to more fully transform and “repair” pervasive systemic racism. Drawing on interviews with activists, surveys, social network analyses, and comprehensive reviews of federal, state, and local policies and advocacy groups, Smith and King map the memberships and goals of two rival racial policy alliances and delineate the contrasting stories each side tells. They also show that these increasingly polarized racial policy alliances are substantially funded on both the Left and Right. Placing today’s conflicts in theoretical and historical perspectives, Smith and King analyze where these intensifying clashes may take the nation in the years ahead. They highlight the great potential for mounting violence, as well as the remaining possibilities for finding common ground.
392 pages, Hardcover
Published May 2, 2024
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July 27, 2026
America’s New Racial Battle Lines: Protect versus Repair is a timely, deeply researched, and sobering examination of the changing landscape of racial politics in the United States. Rogers M. Smith and Desmond King provide a comprehensive analysis of how traditional debates over colorblind and race-conscious policies are giving way to new and increasingly polarized conflicts.
One of the book's greatest strengths is its identification of the two competing racial policy alliances shaping contemporary American politics. The authors examine how conservative movements emphasize protecting traditionalist, predominantly white, Christian Americans from what they view as radical progressive change, while progressive movements seek not only to integrate American institutions but also to address and repair systemic racism.
The book's use of interviews, surveys, social network analyses, and extensive reviews of federal, state, and local policies provides an impressive empirical foundation. These diverse sources allow Smith and King to map the memberships, goals, funding networks, and political strategies of the two rival alliances.
Another major strength is the authors' attention to the competing narratives each side uses to understand the nation's racial conflicts. By examining the stories and assumptions that shape both movements, the book provides readers with a more nuanced understanding of why these disagreements have become so difficult to resolve.
The historical and theoretical context adds further depth to the analysis. Rather than treating current political conflicts as isolated developments, the authors place them within the longer history of American racial policy and political change.
The book's discussion of the future is particularly important. Smith and King examine the potential for increasingly intense polarization and mounting political violence while also considering whether meaningful common ground remains possible.
America’s New Racial Battle Lines: Protect versus Repair will appeal to readers interested in American politics, race and ethnicity, political sociology, public policy, political polarization, social movements, American history, and the future of democracy.
Overall, Rogers M. Smith and Desmond King offer a rigorous and important account of the forces reshaping America's racial politics. The book provides readers with valuable tools for understanding the competing movements, narratives, and policy visions that may shape the nation's future.
One of the book's greatest strengths is its identification of the two competing racial policy alliances shaping contemporary American politics. The authors examine how conservative movements emphasize protecting traditionalist, predominantly white, Christian Americans from what they view as radical progressive change, while progressive movements seek not only to integrate American institutions but also to address and repair systemic racism.
The book's use of interviews, surveys, social network analyses, and extensive reviews of federal, state, and local policies provides an impressive empirical foundation. These diverse sources allow Smith and King to map the memberships, goals, funding networks, and political strategies of the two rival alliances.
Another major strength is the authors' attention to the competing narratives each side uses to understand the nation's racial conflicts. By examining the stories and assumptions that shape both movements, the book provides readers with a more nuanced understanding of why these disagreements have become so difficult to resolve.
The historical and theoretical context adds further depth to the analysis. Rather than treating current political conflicts as isolated developments, the authors place them within the longer history of American racial policy and political change.
The book's discussion of the future is particularly important. Smith and King examine the potential for increasingly intense polarization and mounting political violence while also considering whether meaningful common ground remains possible.
America’s New Racial Battle Lines: Protect versus Repair will appeal to readers interested in American politics, race and ethnicity, political sociology, public policy, political polarization, social movements, American history, and the future of democracy.
Overall, Rogers M. Smith and Desmond King offer a rigorous and important account of the forces reshaping America's racial politics. The book provides readers with valuable tools for understanding the competing movements, narratives, and policy visions that may shape the nation's future.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review