Race Versus Class: The New Affirmative Action Debate

by Carol M. Swain

Race versus Class traces the evolution of affirmative action policies and explores the issues surrounding the current debate. In addition to providing fundamental facts, the book presents original insights and recommendations for salvaging the policy. Included among the essays are case studies of race-exclusive scholarships, housing policies, and the Head Start program. The book also includes a discussion of the difficulty of measuring public opinion on affirmative action, and of how existing methods might be improved. Sound public policy recommendations emerge from the book's racially diverse group of contributors. Affirmative Action Revisisted, Carol M. Swain; Racial Classifications, April Chou; Attitudes Toward Affirmative Paradox or Paradigm?, Frederick Vars; Affirmative Action and Public Opinion Polls, Ricshawn Adkins; Philosophical Perspectives, Justin McCrary; Race-Exclusive Scholarships for Undergraduate Education, Jessica Malman; Fresh Redefining Affirmative Action to Include Socioeconomic Class, Jonathon Goldman; Residential Segregation, Racial Discrimination, and the Road to Reform, Cindy Kam; The Head Start Constructive Affirmative Action, Priya Rajan; Index.

298 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Carol Miller Swain is a retired professor of political science and law at Vanderbilt University. A frequent conservative television analyst, she is the author and editor of several books. Her interests include race relations, immigration, representation, evangelical politics, and the United States Constitution.