Working-class white
Subtitle: the making and unmaking of race relations
By: Monica McDermott.
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: 2006
Place of publication: Berkeley
Language: eng
Number of pages: 196
Subjects: Whites -- Race identity -- Georgia -- Atlanta.; Whites -- Race identity -- Massachusetts -- Boston.; Working class -- Georgia -- Atlanta -- Attitudes.; Working class -- Massachusetts -- Boston -- Attitudes.; Prejudices -- United States -- Case studies.; Sociology, Urban -- United States -- Case studies.; Participant observation.; Atlanta (Ga.) -- Race relations.; Boston (Mass.) -- Race relations.; United States -- Race relations -- Case studies.
Genres: Case studies.
Description: This lively, informative study provides an intimate view of the lived experience of race in urban America from a unique vantage: the corner store. Sociologist Monica McDermott spent a year working as a convenience store clerk in white working class neighborhoods in Atlanta and Boston in order to observe race relations between blacks and whites in a natural setting. Her findings illuminate the subtle cues and genuine misunderstandings that make up race relations in many urban communities, explore how racial interactions and racial identity are influenced by local context, and provide evidence of what many would prefer to believe does not exist: continued anti-black prejudice among white Americans. McDermott notes that while most black-white interactions are civil and unremarkable on the surface, interactions between blacks and whites living in close proximity are characterized by continual attempts to decipher the intent behind words, actions, and gestures, and that certain situations and topics of conversation, such as crime or gender relations, often elicit racial stereotypes or negative comments. Her keen insights on the nuances of race relations will make this book essential reading for students and anyone interested in life in contemporary urban America. --Publisher.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: The cities and the sites : "The Crescent" in Atlanta and "Greenfield" in Boston; title: Experiences of white racial identity; title: Situational contexts and perceptions of prejudice; title: The implications of diversity among Blacks for white attitudes; title: Race, crime, and violence; title: Race, gender and sexuality.