A History of Race Relations Research : First Generation Recollections

Until recently, race relations research has been an understudied and stigmatized area of the social sciences. This volume traces its emergence as a central topic, highlighting the major milestones that established it as a legitimate research domain.

The contributors, key figures in the post-war development of United States race research, relate their own experiences with race and racism and the developing interest in the understanding of race as a social force, giving the reader an insider′s view of the field.

Winner of the Outstanding Book Award on the subject matter of human rights in North America by The Gustavus Myers Center While race relations research is currently a central topic in most social science disciplines, it was not long ago that it was a stigmatized, understudied specialty. How this transformation took place is the focus of this fascinating volume. Here, many of the key figures in the post-World War II development of race research tell their own stories--of their experiences with race and racism, of the developing interest in understanding race as a social force, and of the major milestones that established it as a legitimate research domain. Through a mixture of personal and intellectual biographical information by such noted figures as Bob Blauner, Daniel Fusfeld, Milton Gordon, Lewis Killian, Harry Kitano, Hyland Lewis, Stanley Lieberson, Thomas Pettigrew, Richard Robbins, Peter Rose, Pierre van den Berghe, and Frank Westie, this collection of life histories gives the reader an insider′s history of this exciting field of study. For students and professionals across the social sciences, this book is a must.