The Arrogance of Race: Historical Perspectives on Slavery, Racism, and Social Inequity

by George M. Fredrickson

An investigation of the issue of race over a generation of labor

Winner of the Gustavus Myers Center Award (1990)

The Arrogance of Race is a significant contribution to the historiography of slavery and racism in America. George Fredrickson, one of the most respected and cogent historians of this complex and troubling subject, maintains that racism is a cultural phenomenon not a mere by-product of class conflict and colonialism. He opts for a "dualistic" rather than a more popular monolithic explanation of the tragedy of racism.

Genres: History

320 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 1988

About the author

George M. Fredrickson was the Edgar E. Robinson Professor of United States History at Stanford University, where he taught from 1984 until his retirement in 2002.

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume contains 17 essays (15 previously published) written over a span of 20 years by one of my favorite historians of the American race experience. The essays fall into three general categories; (1) race, slavery and abolition in the Civil War era, (2), historiography of the 19th century American South, (3) comparative studies of race and white supremacy. Drawing on his extensive work on race in the US, the Caribbean, and in South Africa and his encyclopedic knowledge of the work of a wide range of other historians and sociologists, Frederickson illuminates much about American and global history with respect to the important role of race in the making of the modern world. Highly recommended.

[Jazz · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book that provides in depth content and essays from various established figures pertaining to racial relations throughout American history (as well as some comparatively relevant arguements within Jamaica and South Africa's history). You learn of the multiple perspectives that engaged the debate of slavery, the civil rights movement, as well as white supremacy.