Divided by Color: Racial Politics and Democratic Ideals (American Politics and Political Economy Series) - Hardcover

Kinder, Donald R.; Sanders, Lynn M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0226435733 ISBN 13: 9780226435732

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1996

Synopsis

When news of the O. J. Simpson verdict swept across the United States, a nation stood divided as blacks and whites reacted differently to the decision. Seldom has the racial division that permeates our society come so clearly and prominently into view.

Divided by Color supplies the reasons for this division, asserting that racial resentment continues to exist. Despite a parade of recent books optimistically touting the demise of racial hostility in the United States, the authors marshal a wealth of the most current and comprehensive evidence available to prove their case. Kinder and Sanders reveal that racial resentment remains the most powerful determinant of white opinion on such racially charged issues as welfare, affirmative action, school desegregation, and the plight of the inner city.

But more than a comprehensive description of American views on race, Divided by Color seeks to explain just why black and white Americans believe what they do. Kinder and Sanders analyze the critical factors that shape people's opinion on race-related issues, uncovering the relative importance of self-interest, group identity, ideological principles, as well as racial animosity. Finally, the authors explore how the racial divide has insinuated itself into the presidential election process and examine the role of political elites in framing racial issues for ordinary citizens.

The most accurate and thorough analysis of American attitudes toward race and racial policies undertaken in decades, Divided by Color is destined to become a landmark work on race in America.

About this title

About the Author

Donald R. Kinder is the Philip E. Converse Collegiate Professor in the Department of Political Science and research professor in the Center for Political Studies of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0226435733
• ISBN 13: 9780226435732
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 399