Diversity in the Power Elite by Richard L Zweigenhaft
This book looks systematically at the extent to which Jews, women, African Americans, Latinos, Asians and gay men and lesbians have entered the higher circles of power that constituted what sociologist C. Wright Mills called 'the power elite.' Using a deft combination of academic research and telling anecdotes, the book examines the backgrounds and careers of such well-known members of the power elite as attorney general Alberto Gonzales, secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, former secretary of state Colin Powell, and former CEO of Hewlett-Packard Carly Fiorina to explain why and how the power elite has diversified and the effect this diversification has had on the way power works in the United States.
Zweigenhaft and Domhoff tell a profound sociological story about how the American elite has managed to accommodate successfully to growing societal diversityNewcomers are allowed in, but they are changed in the process of entering: hence, the contemporary elite is no longer made up exclusively of white Christian men, but its members still share perspectives and values that favor narrow class interests regardless of where they came from. This powerful account demonstrates how a system of inequality can adapt to the pressure for social change. For today's diverse America, the old axiom, "plus ça change," will need to be translated into many more languages. -- Richard Alba, The University of Albany, SUNY
In Diversity in the Power Elite Zweigenhaft and Domhoff provide a clear, concise, and often ignored dimension in power analysis. Applying a critical lens, the authors insightfully explore the ironies of the American elite: it has struggled to preserve its white male privilege, while begrudgingly allowing limited space for elites from various racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual orientations. This book provides the missing link to our discussions regarding diversity in America. -- Rodney Coates, Miami University, Ohio
[This work] is based on meticulous scholarship, crammed with facts, and nonetheless is a good read. * Book Review Digest, August 01 2008 *
. . . entertaining and easy to read. Recommended. * CHOICE *
In Diversity in the Power Elite Zweigenhaft and Domhoff provide a clear, concise, and often ignored dimension in power analysis. Applying a critical lens, the authors insightfully explore the ironies of the American elite: it has struggled to preserve its white male privilege, while begrudgingly allowing limited space for elites from various racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual orientations. This book provides the missing link to our discussions regarding diversity in America. -- Rodney Coates, Miami University, Ohio
[This work] is based on meticulous scholarship, crammed with facts, and nonetheless is a good read. * Book Review Digest, August 01 2008 *
. . . entertaining and easy to read. Recommended. * CHOICE *
Richard L. Zweigenhaft is Dana Professor of Psychology at Guilford College, where he chairs the social science division and directs the communications concentration. G. William Domhoff is a Research Professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. They have coauthored four books together: Jews in the Protestant Establishment (1982), Blacks in the White Establishment: A Study of Race and Class in America (1991), Diversity in the Power Elite: Have Women and Minorities Reached the Top? (1998), and Blacks in the White Elite: Will the Progress Continue? (2003).
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780742536999 |
| ISBN 10 | 0742536998 |
| Title | Diversity in the Power Elite |
| Author | Richard L Zweigenhaft |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Rowman & Littlefield |
| Year published | 2006-04-10 |
| Number of pages | 272 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |