White Men on Race: Power. Privilege, and the Shaping of Cultural Consciousness FROM THE PUBLISHER
Based on the revealing and provocative testimony of about one hundred powerful, upper-income white men, White Men on Race shows how these men see racial "others," how they see white America, how they view racial conflicts, and what they expect for the country's future. Covering a range of topics, from how they first encountered black Americans to views on blacks today, interracial dating, affirmative action, current immigration, crime, and intervening in discriminatory situations, their views enlighten us on the racial perspectives of the country's twenty-first century white male elites.
These men, mostly baby boomers ranging in age from their thirties to their sixties, reside in a variety of U.S. cities and states. Some are at or near the top of powerful economic and government organizations and are members of the national governing class, while most are a tier or two below that top level and are influential in their regions or local communities. Most are executives in corporations, influential officials and administrators, academics, physicians, attorneys, and businesspeople.
The authors closely analyze the racial attitudes and experiences of this powerful group and argue that certain key ideas and views expressed by the majority are not isolated but are part of a larger, often troubling set of perspectives on race in America. These perspectives continue to shape white lives and actions and, ultimately, the course of the nation.
In their interviews the authors find that these men provide complex and nuanced perspectives on race in U.S. society, with traditional racial interpretations often with more progressive, even actively antiracist, assessment of contemporary racialrealities. Those men who are consistently and strongly antiracist in their perspectives and actions, the authors argue, provide hope for more effective leadership on racial matters in the present and future of the United States.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
The new field of "whiteness studies"-the exploration of how whites construct their racial identities and their relations with minorities-gets an eye-opening addition with this survey of upper-class white men. Sociologists Feagin and O'Brien interviewed 100 of the movers and shakers in business, academia, government and other professions-opinion makers for the white community-on their personal attitudes toward and interactions with blacks and other minorities and recorded their opinions on topics including affirmative action and interracial marriage. Their research indicates that while overt expressions of racism are rare (although not entirely absent) a pattern of subtle bias and stereotyping has emerged, part of what the authors term a "collective white consciousness." These prominent white men tend to ascribe the social disadvantages of blacks to family breakdowns and cultural pathology, not discrimination and they oppose or have reservations about affirmative action (although they often support mild variants under other names). Members of the white male elite underestimate the effects of segregation and discrimination against blacks, overestimate the harm done to whites by "reverse discrimination," and still feel uneasy at the prospect of their daughters bringing black men home for dinner. The authors ascribe many of these sentiments to distorted media images and to the "white bubble" of segregated suburbs, white-dominated workplaces and social settings, where whites seldom interact with minorities on an equal footing or gain any understanding of their lives. Moreover, there is also a "group ideology" at work, particularly when interviewees interpret a hypothetical vignette about a white salesclerk ignoring black customers as a story about black criminality instead of a story about white discrimination. Full of sharp and nuanced insights, this book offers a revealing glimpse into the heart of whiteness. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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