Publisher's Synopsis
Once it seemed so simple. For anyone who had a conscience, anyone who had a heart, the issue of racism was summed up in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. But now the questions and answers aren't so clear. What, precisely, is the clash over race in the 1990s, and does it support the charge of a "new racism", more subtle and covert than the bigotry of a generation ago? These are the central questions Paul Sniderman and Thomas Piazza set out to answer in this book. It is an articulation of how racial issues have become entangled with politics - the process of negotiating who gets what through government action. As this process has become more complex, so has the question of race in the public mind.;When race becomes enmeshed in public policy issues - whether it is for the purpose of affirmative action or social welfare - political principles as well as prejudice come into play. Not just who will benefit from government programmes but how the goal will be achieved, and at what price, are the concerns that preoccupy thoughtful Americans. The authors demonstrate that among well-educated whites, whether liberal or conservative, ideology, not bigotry, has the greater influence on public policy positions. Among less well educated whites of all political stripes, prejudice and discriminatory behaviour remain strong. Though negative stereotyping and double standards persist, this book clearly documents the difference education has made in combating racism.;But the problems of race cannot be boiled down to racism. Race is no longer a single question to be understood in moral terms of right and wrong, as Gunnar Myrdal's classic "An American Dilemma" argued 50 years ago. Race can now be divided into several distinct political agendas - each with its own relationship to prejudice, ideology, and the traditional American values of fairness and individual initiative. Social welfare programmes, equal treatment legislation, race-conscious policies - all have their supporters and opponents, differing in strength of commitment, ideology, vulnerability to prejudice, and, most important, susceptibility to change. Sniderman and Piazza provide a new setting for understanding racial conflicts as the "politics of race". They show us that on many racial issues, white Americans are open to argument and persuasion. Only by understanding this dynamic can the challenges of racial progress now and in the future be confronted.
