Recommended by Charles P. Henry and Robert L. Allen, Professors of African-American Studies.
"One the best books explaining the transformation of political campaigning in the post-civil rights era. It should help everyone translate the implicit racial content of the current presidential campaign."
"A widely discussed book that argues there has been five realigning elections in American history and attempts to set forth the factors leading to change. The question for 2008 is 'does Obama’s election constitute a critical election?'"
"The dominant view in political history is that the United States has made steady progress in making the country a more racially inclusive society. This work challenges that view, contending that racial progress has been exceptional rather than the rule and usually comes as a result of societal crisis."
"Kymlicha makes a strong case for treating different ethnic/racial groups differently depending on their historical experience."
"There is very little literature on African Americans running for president. However some of the issues that arose in the Obama campaign were similar to those faced by Black mayoral candidates historically and there is a substantial literature in this area."
"Omi and Winant’s concept of 'racial projects' offers a useful broader theoretical framework in which to consider the emergence of internal neocolonialism."
"Lusane argues that African Americans have a stake in issues of globalization and can push black leaders to play a progressive role addressing problems of global equity."
"Grosfoquel argues that despite formal independence, colonialism continues in 'coloniality of power' which maintains the colonial relationship without the presence of a colonial administration. I make a parallel argument that internal colonialism is replaced by internal neocolonialism managed in part by a buffer class of black politicians."
"This was the first scholarly work to argue that 'the dark ghettos are social, political, educational, and – above all – economic colonies,' advancing an argument showing the existence of internal colonies in the U.S."
