Race and Ethnicity in Society: The Changing Landscape (with InfoTrac)

by Elizabeth Higginbotham, Margaret L. Andersen

This engaging reader consists of 57 edited articles, divided into seven parts. Part I establishes the importance of examining race as a contemporary social issue. Part II establishes the analytical frameworks that are now being used to think about race in society. Part III examines the most immediately experienced dimensions of race: beliefs and ideology. Part IV examines racial identity and interracial relationships, topics that are especially interesting to students. Part V analyzes the importance of the political economy of race, showing how the economic exploitation of racial groups is buttressed by political arrangements in the state. In particular, the racial division of labor is supported by concepts of citizenship that deny full rights of citizenship to certain groups. Part VI details the consequences of race and racism as manifested in different social institutions, including work, family, health, housing, education, and social justice. Each section includes articles examining the outcomes within social institutions that stem from the reality of racial inequality in society. Part VII focuses on social movements and social change.

Genres: Nonfiction

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This book as assigned for my race & ethnic relations class. There were a few sections that we didn't have to read for class, but after the class ended I went ahead and read them all before selling my book back. Overall this is a good reader; much better than that other one I reviewed a couple months ago. Some sections are better than others; the unit on race and the media was the section that was the weakest. It probably actually has less essays that are real stand-outs for me--fewer of the essays blew me away individually--but the whole collection is just a lot more even. It accomplishes the goal of filling the audience in on a breadth of information and gives a clear assessment of the state of race and ethnicity in society. I know I've said it before but Tumblr can teach anyone this stuff just as well, for free, in a really accessible way. And, though a lot of Trudy's essays are academic, most of Tumblr isn't particularly so, and it is always good to have academic sources. There are lots of studies, empirical research, and statistical analyses in this book and the articles are all useful to understanding the underpinnings of the racial situation in the United States.

The following essays/articles/excerpts were my personal favorites from this volume (although almost every piece contributes something important):
"Planting the Seed: The Invention of Race" by Abby L. Ferber
"How Did Jews Become White Folks?" by Karen Brodkin
"American Racism in the Twenty-First Century" by Matthew Desmond and Mustafa Emirbayer
"'Playing Indian': Why Native American Mascots Must End" by Charles Fruehling Springwood and C. Richard King"The First Americans: American Indians" by C. Matthew Snipp
"Impossible Subjects" by Mac M. Ngai
"Toward a New Vision" by Patricia Hill Collins
"Race and the Invisible Hand" by Deirdre A. Royster
"The Family and Community Costs of Racism" by Joe R. Feagin and Karyn D. Mckinney
"Child Welfare as a Racial Justice Issue" by Dorothy Roberts
"Sub-Prime as a Black Catastrophe" by Melvin L. Oliver and Thomas M. Shapiro
"Poisoning the Planet: The Struggle for Environmental Justice" by David Naguib Pellow and Robert J. Brulle
"Race, Place, and the Environment in Post-Katrina New Orleans" by Robert D. Bullard and Beverly Wright
"The Mark of a Criminal Record" by Devah Pager
"Post-Racism?: Putting President Obama's Victory in Perspective" by Thomas F. Pettigrew

[Juliet C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I use this text in class. Most of the readings are accessible and important to the topic.