Description
The United States is dogged by racism and racial disparities in income, wealth, health, education, and criminal justice. Philosophers disagree on what kind of politics is needed to address this problem. Do we pursue race-specific remedies to undo racism or do we assume the permanence of racism and opt for non-race-specific remedies in pursuit of a more egalitarian society? Paradoxically, the way to make racial progress in racist America is to downplay race. In A Realistic Blacktopia, political philosopher Derrick Darby challenges the "small tent" approach by examining U.S. Supreme Court cases on education and voting rights arguing that they hold general lessons about the limits of racial politics. Securing racial justice in racist America calls for "big tent" remedies, and Darby argues that pursuing non-race-specific remedies with maximal democratic inclusion is a necessary strategy for mitigating racial inequality and achieving racial justice. A Realistic Blacktopia offers clarity on how racism persists, contrary to claims that America is a postracial society. Explaining why the myth of postracialism cannot be ignored in crafting remedies for racial inequality, Darby supplies a principled pragmatic proposal for achieving racial justice. Drawing on the political thought of Martin Luther King Jr., W. E. B. Du Bois, and the black radical tradition, Darby also explains why achieving racial justice requires inclusive democracy.
About the Author
Derrick Darby is Henry Rutgers Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University. He holds a BA from Colgate and a PhD from Pittsburgh. He discovered his passion for philosophy growing up in the Queensbridge public housing projects in NYC. For the backstory, see his TEDx talk, "Doing the Knowledge." He writes about rights, inequality, and democracy. He has been profiled in The Atlantic and published in The New York Times and other outlets. He is a cohost of A Pod Called Quest. His most recent book, with John L. Rury, is The Color of Mind: Why the Origins of the Achievement Gap Matter for Justice.
Reviews
How can we enlarge the freedom and enhance the life prospects of African Americans when so many people are convinced that racism is no longer a serious problem? Derrick Darby answers this urgent question with an enlightening blend of philosophical argument and empirical evidence. He not only offers a practical and powerful response to the enduring significance of racism in the United States but also forcefully challenges progressive thinkers and activists to reconsider their usual policy proposals and strategies of resistance. An essential contribution to Black philosophy. * Tommie Shelby, author of Dark Ghettos: Injustice, Dissent, and Reform *
The number of problems confronting African Americans is truly quite daunting to think about. It stretches across politics/public policy, economics, law, sociology, health (mental and physical; diagnosis and treatment). Drawing on decades worth of thought, Derrick Darby masterfully and carefully offers us a way out, a way forward as well as an idea of what the world would look like when we arrive at the end. This is an amazing book but it's so much more: it's a museum/prison of thoughts gone by, it's a prism/kaleidoscope of perspective and vision, it's a map to places as yet unexplored, and (perhaps most importantly) it's a ticket to ride - together. * Christian Davenport, author of The Death and Life of State Repression *
Derrick Darby offers an innovative approach to achieving social justice in the face of America's deep divisions on race. Combining the disciplined analysis of philosophy with a hard-edged realism about our current moment, Darby recognizes that race-centered approaches cannot, standing alone, overcome the psychological, sociological, and structural barriers that foster ongoing racial disparities across multiple measures of well-being. Bringing together a number of themes reflected in his prior work, A Realistic Blacktopia argues for problem-centered solutions to social injustice that can appeal to supporters across the racial divide. It places Darby among the preeminent American scholars on the subject of racial justice. * Richard E. Levy, J.B. Smith Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Kansas School of Law *
How is it possible to improve the material conditions of the poor in the United States, whose number is disproportionately black? How is it possible to treat every citizen as deserving of dignity, including black citizens vulnerable to gerrymandering, disenfranchisement, and vote dilution? In A Realistic Blacktopia, Derrick Darby makes a compelling argument that improving the condition of black citizens requires forging alliances among marginalized communities. * Nicholas Tampio, Fordham University, Bronx, NY 10458, USA, Contemporary Political Theory *
This book will definitely have readers shifting their lens a bit wider when considering racial inequality in America. * Thorayya Said Giovannelli, PsyD *
Book Information
ISBN 9780197622124
Author Derrick Darby
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 494g
Dimensions(mm) 146mm * 211mm * 25mm
About the Author
Derrick Darby is Henry Rutgers Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University. He holds a BA from Colgate and a PhD from Pittsburgh. He discovered his passion for philosophy growing up in the Queensbridge public housing projects in NYC. For the backstory, see his TEDx talk, "Doing the Knowledge." He writes about rights, inequality, and democracy. He has been profiled in The Atlantic and published in The New York Times and other outlets. He is a cohost of A Pod Called Quest. His most recent book, with John L. Rury, is The Color of Mind: Why the Origins of the Achievement Gap Matter for Justice.
Reviews
How can we enlarge the freedom and enhance the life prospects of African Americans when so many people are convinced that racism is no longer a serious problem? Derrick Darby answers this urgent question with an enlightening blend of philosophical argument and empirical evidence. He not only offers a practical and powerful response to the enduring significance of racism in the United States but also forcefully challenges progressive thinkers and activists to reconsider their usual policy proposals and strategies of resistance. An essential contribution to Black philosophy. * Tommie Shelby, author of Dark Ghettos: Injustice, Dissent, and Reform *
The number of problems confronting African Americans is truly quite daunting to think about. It stretches across politics/public policy, economics, law, sociology, health (mental and physical; diagnosis and treatment). Drawing on decades worth of thought, Derrick Darby masterfully and carefully offers us a way out, a way forward as well as an idea of what the world would look like when we arrive at the end. This is an amazing book but it's so much more: it's a museum/prison of thoughts gone by, it's a prism/kaleidoscope of perspective and vision, it's a map to places as yet unexplored, and (perhaps most importantly) it's a ticket to ride - together. * Christian Davenport, author of The Death and Life of State Repression *
Derrick Darby offers an innovative approach to achieving social justice in the face of America's deep divisions on race. Combining the disciplined analysis of philosophy with a hard-edged realism about our current moment, Darby recognizes that race-centered approaches cannot, standing alone, overcome the psychological, sociological, and structural barriers that foster ongoing racial disparities across multiple measures of well-being. Bringing together a number of themes reflected in his prior work, A Realistic Blacktopia argues for problem-centered solutions to social injustice that can appeal to supporters across the racial divide. It places Darby among the preeminent American scholars on the subject of racial justice. * Richard E. Levy, J.B. Smith Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Kansas School of Law *
How is it possible to improve the material conditions of the poor in the United States, whose number is disproportionately black? How is it possible to treat every citizen as deserving of dignity, including black citizens vulnerable to gerrymandering, disenfranchisement, and vote dilution? In A Realistic Blacktopia, Derrick Darby makes a compelling argument that improving the condition of black citizens requires forging alliances among marginalized communities. * Nicholas Tampio, Fordham University, Bronx, NY 10458, USA, Contemporary Political Theory *
This book will definitely have readers shifting their lens a bit wider when considering racial inequality in America. * Thorayya Said Giovannelli, PsyD *
Book Information
ISBN 9780197622124
Author Derrick Darby
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 494g
Dimensions(mm) 146mm * 211mm * 25mm
