Description
Book SynopsisContemporary Controversies and the American Racial Divide is a detailed study of some of the most racially divisive issues America has encountered in the past decade. Smith and Seltzer employ more than forty surveys to explore race-based public opinion differences on high-profile controversies including the Rodney King and O. J. Simpson cases; the arrest, trial, jailing, and subsequent reelection of Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry; the Million Man March and Louis Farrakhan; and the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill controversy. The authors also look at race-based opinion differences on the inner-city crack cocaine epidemic and the spread of AIDS among the American populace. The divisions in opinion between blacks and whites on these controversies are explained in terms of the distinctive historical and cultural experiences of the different races and the gaps, gulfs, and chasms in their contemporary social and economic conditions. While also noting significant commonalities in opinion a
Trade ReviewThis is a concise yet comprehensive survey of racial differences in public opinion on a wide range of public issues. This is a useful and thought-provoking volume for those concerned about contemporary American race relations. Recommended for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and researchers. * CHOICE *
An extraordinarily insightful book. * The Washington Informer *
Table of ContentsChapter 1 List of Tables Chapter 2 Preface Chapter 3 Introduction Chapter 4 Race, Ideology, Partisanship, and Racialism Chapter 5 American Foreign Policy and the Persian Gulf War Chapter 6 Blacks Leading America and Leading African Americans: Louis Farrakham, Colin Powell, and Clarence Thomas with Reference to the Anita Hill Controversy Chapter 7 Rumors and Conspiracies: Justified Paranoia? Chapter 8 Crimes and Punishments: an Overview of Race Opinion Differences Chapter 9 Conclusion Chapter 10 Appendix Chapter 11 References
