Race, Space, and Riots in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles

by Janet L. Abu-Lughod

American society has been long plagued by cycles of racial violence, most dramatically in the 1960s when hundreds of ghetto uprisings erupted across American cities. Though the larger, underlying causes of contentious race relations have remained the same, the lethality, intensity, and outcomes of these urban rebellions have varied widely. What accounts for these differences? And what lessons can be learned that might reduce the destructive effects of riots and move race relations forward?

This impressive, meticulously detailed study is the first attempt to compare six major race riots that occurred in the three largest American urban areas during the course of the twentieth in Chicago in 1919 and 1968; in New York in 1935/1943 and 1964; and in Los Angeles in 1965 and 1992. Race, Space, and Riots in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles weaves together detailed narratives of each riot, placing them in their changing historical contexts and showing how urban space, political regimes, and economic conditions--not simply an abstract "race conflict"--have structured the nature and extent of urban rebellions. Building on her previous groundbreaking comparative history of these three cities, Janet Abu-Lughod draws upon archival research, primary sources, case studies, and personal observations to reconstruct events--especially for the 1964 Harlem-Bedford Stuyvesant uprising and Chicago's 1968 riots where no documented studies are available. By focusing on the
similarities and differences in each city, identifying the unique and persisting issues, and evaluating the ways political leaders, law enforcement, and the local political culture have either defused or exacerbated urban violence, this book points the way toward alleviating long-standing ethnic and racial tensions.

A masterful analysis from a renowned urbanist, Race, Space, and Riots in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles offers a deeper understanding of past--and future--urban race relations while emphasizing that until persistent racial and economic inequalities are meaningfully resolved, the tensions leading to racial violence will continue to exist in America's cities and betray our professed democratic values.

Genres: Geography, History, Sociology, Race, Nonfiction, Cities

360 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

Janet Lippman Abu-Lughod was an American sociologist with major contributions to World-systems theory and Urban sociology.

Reviews

[Edward Champion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for research. The tone here is, alas, aloofly academic, but Abu-Lughod's study of urban riots throughout the 20th century (specifically, in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York) contains several useful maps, an overview of terms used by pundits to frame the riots, and makes a persuasive argument that economic strife and police brutality were the driving factors rather than blind rage fulfilling racist tropes. Indeed, as Kenneth Clark (quoted in this volume) has said, "The wonder is that there have been so few riots." This is a very useful volume for anyone reckoning with 20th century racism.

[Kevin McAvoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thorough examination of the 3 cities segregation practices and police/mayoral failings.
There are more readable books if you want a timeline and damage assessment.
The statistics tend to oversell what is obvious...white Americans are racist and they don't intend to ever change. There will no doubt be a race war likely starting in Chicago.
I was interested in the book about 60%..but the academic writing style annoyed me.
Good research though with valid comparisons of the 3 cities. Worth knowing?
I'm not sure who would ever read this book.
Certainly no average white (racist) american will.