Structural Racism

The Dynamics of Opportunity and Race in America

Stephen Menendian

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781040363430
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: African American Studies
• Index: Social Sciences

This book explains how racial inequality in the United States is produced and perpetuated and what should be done about it. It develops the elusive concept of "structural racism," presenting a precise definition that is clear and comprehensible, and illustrates how it operates methodically and rigorously.

Many other books are long on problems and short on solutions, whereas this book develops the key principles that must ground a structural reform agenda, and then presents a broad-ranging set of interventions organized around ten themes that will reduce racial disparities while expanding opportunity for all.

Unlike most books on race which focus on a particular issue or sector, this book is comprehensive in its scope, encompassing the vital systems that shape racial inequality in contemporary American society: from education and public schools to income and wealth disparities to housing and health care to policing and the criminal justice system. As such, this book is the ideal text for readers seeking to learn more about structural racial inequality in society, how it came to be that way, and what we should do about it, while deepening our understanding and challenging many misguided or simplistic prevailing notions.

In a time of backlash to racial justice and growing doubts about racial equity initiatives, this book is a timely and necessary entry. A must read for advocates, students, policymakers, and researchers alike.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half-Title Page
• Endorsements Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• List of Figures and Tables
• Introduction
• 1 The Structure of Opportunity
• 2 Structural Racial Inequality
• 3 The Origins of Structural Racism
• 4 Toward a Structural Agenda
• 5 Realizing the American Dream
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgments
• Index