American Apartheid – Segregation & the Making of the Underclass - Hardcover

Massey, Douglas S

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0674018206 ISBN 13: 9780674018204

Publisher: Harvard University Press, 1993

Synopsis

This book clearly links persistent poverty among blacks in the United States to the unparalleled degree of deliberate segregation they experience in American cities. "American Apartheid" shows how the black ghetto was created by whites during the first half of the 20th century in order to isolate growing urban black populations. It goes on to show that, despite the Fair Housing Act of 1968, segregation is perpetuated today through an interlocking set of individual actions, institutional practices, and governmental policies. In some urban areas the degree of black segregation is so intense, and occurs in so many dimensions simultaneously, that it amounts to "hypersegregation". The authors demonstrate that this systematic segregation of African Americans leads inexorably to the creation of underclass communities during periods of economic downturn. Under conditions of extreme segregation, any increase in the overall rate of black poverty yields a marked increase in the geographic concentration of indigence and the deterioration of social and economic conditions in black communities. As ghetto residents adapt to this increasingly harsh environment under a climate of racial isolation, they evolve attitudes, behaviours and practices that further marginalize their neighbourhoods and undermine their chances of success in mainstream American society.

About this title

Review

In the meticulousness of its research and the density of its arguments, "American Apartheid" stands well apart from even the best-argued and most amply documented books by journalists on racial problems. -- Nathan Glazer "New Republic" A major contribution to our understanding of both racism and poverty... One hopes that the book will be read, not only by other scholars and policy analysts, but by a broad spectrum of citizens and by all the leaders of the nation. -- Andrew Billingsley "Washington Post Book World" Richly documented ... A splendid book. "American Apartheid" explores a topic that many of us have come to take for granted, presents a fascinating array of data that have never been assembled in one place and compellingly argues that segregation is crucial to understanding what has happened to urban blacks. -- Charles Murray "Times Literary Supplement" Essential reading for anyone interested in the causes, and possible cures, of urban poverty. An incredibly readable book that must be studied by all Americans-liberal and conservative, black and white. assembled in one place and compellingly argues that segregation is crucial to understanding what has happened to [urban] blacks.

About the Author

Douglas S. Massey is Henry G. Bryant Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University, with a joint appointment in the Woodrow Wilson School.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674018206
• ISBN 13: 9780674018204
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304