Redefining Equality

by Neal Devins (Editor), Davison M. Douglas (Editor)

Overview

The idea of equality is central to American civic life and one of the foundations of our national identity. Charges of unequal treatment continue to be voiced nationwide, in both the public discourse and the courts, yet there is no consensus on the meaning of equality. Competing views on this topic have erupted into a cultural conflict that looms large in contemporary American politics. In this collection of insightful essays, distinguished scholars in law, history, and social science present varying perspectives on this fundamental concept. Addressing the specific cases behind the headlines and the abstract arguments within the legal texts, the contributors look closely at everything from school bussing programs and affirmative action to the role of the courts and the politics of equality. Various examples and definitions of equality, culled from America's past and present, are summarized and examined in ways that illustrate how and why equality issues directly affect men and women of all races and backgrounds. Redefining Equality, a balanced array of assessments regarding our nation's historical and contemporary thoughts on equality and civil rights, will prove most informative to students of law, political science, and recent American history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195353778
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	01/29/1998
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Lexile:	1640L (what's this?)
File size:	675 KB

About the Author

Neal Devins is a Professor of Law and a Lecturer in Government at the College of William and Mary School of Law. He is the author, most recently, of Shaping Constitutional Values (1996). Davison M. Douglas, also a Professor of Law at the College of William and Mary Law School, is the author of Reading, Writing, and Race (1995).

Table of Contents

1. The Pursuit of Equality, Davison M. Douglas and Neal Devins2. Equality and Impasse: Mobilizing Group-Based Perspectives in an Era of Group-Blindness, Kathryn Abrams3. Civil Rights Reform in Historical Perspective: Regulating Marital Violence, Reva Siegel4. The Illusory Distinction Between Equality of Opportunity and Equality of Result, David A. Strauss5. The Word 'American' Ends in 'Can': The Ambiguous Promise of the American Dream, Jennifer L. Hochschild6. Racial Divisions and Judicial Obstructions, Jeremy Rabkin7. The Politics of Clientele Capture: Civil Rights Policy and the Reagan Administration, Hugh Davis Graham8. The Convergence of Black and White Attitudes on School Desegregation Issues, Christine H. Rossell9. Brown Blues: Rethinking the Integrative Ideal, Drew S. Days III10. The Social Construction of Brown v. Board of Education: Law Reform and the Reconstructive Paradox, Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic11. The Irrelevant Court: The Supreme Court's Inability to Influence Popular Beliefs about Equality (or Anything Else), Gerald N. Rosenberg12. Can Courts Make a Difference?, Erwin Chemerinsky13. The Supreme Court's Pursuit of Equality and Liberty and the Burdens of History, David J. Garrow14. The Judicial Role in Equality Decision-Making, Neal Devins

Editorial Reviews

"A very strong collection of essays....[These are] good summaries of positions that the book's readers ought to know about. They provide a fine overview of contemporary civil rights issues."—Mark V. Tushnet, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Constitutional Law, Georgetown University

"Redefining Equality is a collection of well-written essays by prominent scholars on hot problems concerning judicial review and equality. [The book] neatly pinpoints many of the complex issues of legal equality that have arisen in the 1990s and presents readers with a variety of perspectives on those questions."—Mark Graber, Department of Government and Politics, University of Maryland, College Park

"The essays are interesting and helpful in presenting some of the major perspectives on equality....this book should prove useful to scholars, graduate students, and law students interested in exploring equlity issues."—The Law and Politics Book Review

From the Publisher