by Jennifer Tilton

How do you tell the difference between a “good kid” and a “potential thug”? In Dangerous or Endangered?, Jennifer Tilton considers the ways in which children are increasingly viewed as dangerous and yet, simultaneously, as endangered and in need of protection by the state.
Tilton draws on three years of ethnographic research in Oakland, California, one of the nation’s most racially diverse cities, to examine how debates over the nature and needs of young people have fundamentally reshaped politics, transforming ideas of citizenship and the state in contemporary America. As parents and neighborhood activists have worked to save and discipline young people, they have often inadvertently reinforced privatized models of childhood and urban space, clearing the streets of children, who are encouraged to stay at home or in supervised after-school programs. Youth activists protest these attempts, demanding a right to the city and expanded rights of citizenship.
Dangerous or Endangered? pays careful attention to the intricate connections between fears of other people’s kids and fears for our own kids in order to explore the complex racial, class, and gender divides in contemporary American cities.

New York; London: NYU Press, 2010; 203p.

By Carl Gutierrez-Jones

The beating of Rodney King, the killing of Amadou Diallo, and the LAPD Rampart Scandal: these events have been interpreted by the courts, the media and the public in dramatically conflicting ways. Critical Race Narratives examines what is at stake in these conflicts and, in so doing, rethinks racial strife in the United States as a highly-charged struggle over different methods of reading and writing. Focusing in particular on the practice and theorization of narrative strategies, Gutiérrez-Jones engages many of the most influential texts in the recent race debates including The Bell Curve, America in Black and White, The Alchemy of Race and Rights, and The Mismeasure of Man. In the process, Critical Race Narratives pursues key questions posed by the texts as they work within, or against, disciplinary expectations: can critical engagements with narrative enable a more democratic dialogue regarding race? what promise does such experimentation hold for working through the traumatic legacy of racism in the United States? Throughout, Critical Race Narratives initiates a timely dialogue between race-focused narrative experiment in scholarly writing and similar work in literary texts and popular culture.

New York; London: NYU Press, 2001.

MAY CONTAIN MARKUP

by W. E. B. Du Bois

The Souls of Black Folk is a seminal work of American literature penned by W.E.B. Du Bois in 1903. Through a collection of insightful essays, Du Bois delves into the complex issues of race, identity, and equality in post-Civil War America. His profound analysis explores the double consciousness experienced by Black individuals, the challenges of racial discrimination, and the enduring quest for justice and liberation. With eloquence and depth, Du Bois's work continues to resonate today, offering readers a timeless reflection on the African American experience and the ongoing struggle for civil rights.

Publisher? 1903. 189p.

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By W.E.B.DuBois

"The Gift of Black Folk" is a thought-provoking exploration of the invaluable contributions and enduring legacy of Black individuals throughout history. From art and music to science and civil rights, this book delves into the profound impact that Black individuals have had on shaping our world. Through detailed research and compelling storytelling, it sheds light on often overlooked achievements and celebrates the richness of Black culture. A must-read for anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the remarkable gifts that Black folk have bestowed upon society.

Square One Pub., 2009, 198 pages

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By W.E.B. DU BOIS

Darkwater: Voices from within the Veil is a compelling anthology that delves into the depths of the human experience through a collection of haunting narratives. Each story in this book is a testament to the resilience, struggles, and triumphs of individuals who have navigated the complexities of life shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. From tales of love and loss to explorations of identity and belonging, these voices from within the veil invite readers to ponder the complexities of the human soul and the intricate web of connections that bind us all. Darkwater is a poignant and thought-provoking journey that will resonate with readers long after they turn the final page.

Harcourt, Brace and Howe, 1920, 276 pages

By Janice M. Irvine

Marginal People in Deviant Places revisits early- to mid-twentieth-century ethnographic studies, arguing that their focus on marginal subcultures—ranging from American hobos, to men who have sex with other men in St. Louis bathrooms, to hippies, to taxi dancers in Chicago, to elderly Jews in Venice, California—helped produce new ways of thinking about social difference more broadly in the United States. Irvine demonstrates how the social scientists who told the stories of these marginalized groups represented an early challenge to then-dominant narratives of scientific racism, prefiguring the academic fields of gender, ethnic, sexuality, and queer studies in key ways. In recounting the social histories of certain American outsiders, Irvine identifies an American paradox by which social differences are both despised and desired, and she describes the rise of an outsider capitalism that integrates difference into American society by marketing it.

Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2022. 349p.

By Douglas Smith

Tracing the erosion of white elite paternalism in Jim Crow Virginia, Douglas Smith reveals a surprising fluidity in southern racial politics in the decades between World War I and the Supreme Court's 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision. Smith draws on official records, private correspondence, and letters to newspapers from otherwise anonymous Virginians to capture a wide and varied range of black and white voices. African Americans emerge as central characters in the narrative, as Smith chronicles their efforts to obtain access to public schools and libraries, protection under the law, and the equitable distribution of municipal resources. This acceleration of black resistance to white supremacy in the years before World War II precipitated a crisis of confidence among white Virginians, who, despite their overwhelming electoral dominance, felt increasingly insecure about their ability to manage the color line on their own terms. Exploring the everyday power struggles that accompanied the erosion of white authority in the political, economic, and educational arenas, Smith uncovers the seeds of white Virginians' resistance to civil rights activism in the second half of the twentieth century.

Chapel Hill, NC:The University of North Carolina Press, 2002. 466p.

By Mark Schultz

Mark Schultz entered rural Hancock County expecting to confirm the standard expectations about race relations in the South, an area characterized by frequent lynchings, systematic segregation, and universal black poverty. What he found undermined and confounded his sweeping assumptions about the ostensibly "solid" South. The Rural Face of White Supremacy is a detailed study of the daily experiences of ordinary people in rural Hancock County, Georgia. Drawing on his own interviews with over two hundred black and white residents, Schultz depicts the rhythms of work, social interaction, violence, power, and paternalism in a setting much different from the more widely studied postbellum urban South.By acting on the basis of personal rather than institutional relationships, Schultz argues, Hancock County residents experienced more fluid interactions and more freedom than their urban counterparts had. This freedom created a space for interracial relationships that included mixed housing, midwifery, church services, meals, and even common-law marriages.

Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2007. 337p.

Edited by Wa Baile, Mohamed; Dankwa, Serena O.; Naguib, Tarek; Purtschert, Patricia; Schilliger, Sarah

Racist police checks are part of everyday life in Europe. They make it dramatically visible who is not considered a fellow citizen. While much of the dominance society finds this racist practice normal, more and more people are no longer prepared to accept it without resistance. The volume brings together scientific, artistic and activist contributions to the social backgrounds and modes of action of racial profiling and the possibilities of intersectional anti-racist resistance. The focus is on Switzerland, supplemented by perspectives from authors who are familiar with the German context.

Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, 2019. 337p.

By Sara Dehkordi.

Segregation, Inequality, and Urban Development delves into the complex dynamics that have shaped the cities we live in today. Through a meticulous exploration of historical events and present-day realities, this book uncovers the deep-rooted issues of segregation and inequality that continue to influence urban development. From examining the repercussions of discriminatory practices to discussing the role of policy interventions, the authors offer a comprehensive analysis that sheds light on the persistent challenges faced by urban communities. A thought-provoking read for anyone interested in understanding the intersection of social divides and city landscapes.

Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, 2020. 203p.

Edited by Stephen C. Finley, Biko Mandela Gray, and Lori Latrice Martin

Religious Fervor, White Workers and the Myth of Black Racial Progress. This book sheds light on the phenomenon of white rage, and maps out the uneasy relationship between white anxiety, religious fervour, American identity and perceived black racial progress. Contributors to the volume examine the sociological construct of the 'white labourer', whose concerns and beliefs can be understood as religious in foundation. They uncover that white religious fervor correlates to notions of perceived white loss and perceived black progress .

Edinburgh University Press. 2020. 328p.