Book Description

An eye-opening exploration of how socials statuses intersect to shape our identities and produce inequalities. In this fully edited and streamlined Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Social Class: Dimensions of Inequality and Identity, Second Edition, Susan Ferguson has carefully selected readings that open readers’ eyes to the ways that social statuses shape our experiences and impact our life chances. The anthology represents many of the leading voices in the field and reflects the many approaches used by scholars and researchers to understand this important and evolving subject. The anthology is organized around broad topics (Identity, Power and Privilege, Social Institutions, etc.), rather than categories of difference (Race, Gender, Class, Sexuality) to underscore this fundamental insight: race, class, gender, and sexuality do not exist in isolation; they often intersect with one another to produce social inequalities and form the bases of our identities in society. Nine readings are new to this edition: Michael Polgar—on Jewish assimilation and culture in the U.S. Katherine Franke—on the 1940 Supreme Court case, Suneri v. Cassagne, concerning racial identity Carla Pfeffer—on transgender identity Michelle Alexander—on the New Jim Crow Richard Lachmann—on the decline of the U.S. as an economic and political power Abby Ferber—on privilege and “oppression blindness” Amada Hess—Why Women Aren’t Welcome on the Internet Iris Marion Young—Five Faces of Oppression Ellis Cose—Rage of the Privileged “The choice of readings in Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Social Class: Dimensions of Inequality and Identity is better than my current text in terms of inequality and steps of closing the gaps.” – Dr. Deden Rukmana, Savannah State University “I really like how Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Social Class: Dimensions of Inequality and Identity deals with underlying concepts rather than difference by x, y, or z.” – Ana Villalobos, Brandeis University