White Perspectives on Black Americans

RACE RELATIONS have been a central topic of analysis since, if not prior to, the establishment of American Sociology. This literature, however, has been criticized severely for rationalizing the status quo and particular ideologies of the times,' documenting disadvantages of blacks in a static fashion,2 focusing on attitudes of whites to the neglect of the reaction and political leadership of blacks,3 while other racial minorities in the society largely tend to be ignored.4 Others have also commented on the disproportionate degree to which these researchers come from Southern backgrounds and the predominantly liberal tone of their conclusions.5 Analyses of these studies, furthermore, tend to be limited both in time period and research covered.6 This paper represents an analysis of research by whites on black Americans published in the two top professional journals the American Journal of Sociology and American Sociological Review from their foundation through the end of the 1970s. Discussion focuses on author birthplace, methodologies used, major topics of analysis and their explanation by decade of publication, in an attempt to explore the relevance of the sociohistorical context, professional growth, and individual background factors to this subject-matter over time

Sociology · White (mutation) · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice · Gender Studies · Medicine · Race, History, and American Society · Gerontology