Title: Political economy of racism /
Authors: Leiman, Melvin M.
Publisher: Pluto Press,
Year: 1993
Subjects: African Americans Economic conditions; Social classes United States History; Racism United States History; Capitalism United States History; United States Race relations; United States Race relations Economic aspects.
Abstract: "4The book, for all its complex detail, is very readable ... [It] is an intense and compact resource for understanding how the political economy of racism evolved in the United States.' Science & Society. 'Written in a style accessible to both students and a wider non-specialist audience - could usefully be read by anyone interested in the origins and impact of racism in the United States.' Patterns of Prejudice. Unlike conventional theories advanced by conservative and liberal thinkers, The Political Economy of Racism shows how the persistence of racism can be explained in terms of the changing economic and political needs of different groups of capitalists. Leiman demonstrates clearly how the relative decline in the American economy is clearly linked to the persistence of racism. He argues that capitalists are not a class with a monolithic and unchanging interest in a particular form of racial discrimination and that the character of racism changes with the economic and political needs of different groups of capitalists. The Political Economy of Racism is a controversial book that challenges existing theories of racial discrimination and provides a radical alternative theory."--Publisher's description.
Contents: Introduction -- 1. Historical Background of Black Discrimination -- 2. The Economic Facts of Life -- 3. Radical Critique of the Political Economy of Racism -- 4. Orthodox Critiques of Discrimination -- 5. The Politics of discrimination -- 6. Black-White Labour Unity: An Impossible Dream? -- 7. Notes Toward a Comparison of Gender and Race Discrimination.