Black Wealth, White Wealth: A New Perspective on Racial Inequality

Melvin L. Oliver, Thomas M. Shapiro

Taylor & Francis, 2006 - Political Science - 338 pages

The award-winning Black Wealth / White Wealth offers a powerful portrait of racial inequality based on an analysis of private wealth. Melvin Oliver and Thomas Shapiro's groundbreaking research analyzes wealth - total assets and debts rather than income alone - to uncover deep and persistent racial inequality in America, and they show how public policies have failed to redress the problem.

First published in 1995, Black Wealth / White Wealth is considered a classic exploration of race and inequality. It provided, for the first time, systematic empirical evidence that explained the racial inequality gap between blacks and whites. The Tenth Anniversary edition contains two entirely new and substantive chapters. These chapters look at the continuing issues of wealth and inequality in America and the new policies that have been launched in the past ten years. Some have been progressive while others only recreate inequality - for example the proposal to eliminate the estate tax.

Compelling and also informative, Black Wealth / White Wealth is not just pioneering research. It is also a powerful counterpoint to arguments against affirmative action and a direct challenge to current social welfare policies that are tilted towards the wealthy.

What people are saying

User Review -

This is an amazing book. It actually gives the correct viewpoint that everyone should see instead of what their privileged eyes see. Black people face so much hard ship in life and even though I am white I respect my skin color unlike everyone else in the world who thinks that this BLM statement is a joke. People need to know when to stop. This is a 400 year battle that has been going on and it is time that it needs to be stopped. People are losing their lives for nothing over this battle and how many more are going to.  

About the author

Melvin Oliver is Professor and Dean of Social Sciences, University of California-Santa Barbara.
Thomas Shapiro is Professor, Brandeis University.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Black Wealth, White Wealth: A New Perspective on Racial Inequality; Volume 33 of Routledge library editions: History and philosophy of science
• Authors: Melvin L. Oliver, Thomas M. Shapiro
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis, 2006
• ISBN: 0415951674, 9780415951678
• Length: 338 pages
• Subjects: Political Science / History & Theory; Social Science / Ethnic Studies / American / African American & Black Studies; Social Science / Sociology / General