Abstract
In Transcending Racial Barriers, Michael Emerson and George Yancey develop and propose a “mutual obligations approach” to racial issues in the United States. In the first two chapters, the authors provide a brief overview of race, racism, and racial inequality. The authors then summarize existing solutions and categorize them based on whether they entail primarily minority- or majority-group obligations. The authors critique these conservative and progressive solutions for being overly racialized and for failing to garner interracial support. The authors argue that any solution must be accepted by both majority- and minority-group members. Emerson and Yancey suggest that multiracial institutions, particularly families and churches, offer valuable insight into addressing racial conflict. Interracial contact in these settings, they argue, has the potential to alter the racial attitudes of majority-group members, while providing people of color with valuable economic and social capital. The rest of the book lays out a “mutual obligations approach” to racial issues. The authors argue that any solution must seriously address group interests. Moreover, it must recognize and build on common core values while encouraging cultural and individual distinctiveness. In the final chapter, the authors use the affirmative action debate as an example of how their approach might be applied. They also offer several public policy suggestions, and call for research on how consensus develops in multiracial settings. The book may be of interest to sociologists and other social scientists who teach or research race and ethnic relations. It may also be useful for undergraduate or graduate courses on race and ethnicity.