Table of Contents

List of FiguresList of TablesAcknowledgmentsPt. 1Behind the Mule: The Historical Roots of African-American Group Interests11The Changing Class Structure of Black America and the Political Behavior of African Americans32Race, Class, and African-American Economic Polarization153The Politicization of African-American Racial Group Interests45Pt. 2African-American Political Behavior and Public Opinion694Models of African-American Racial and Economic Group Interests715African-American Partisanship and the American Party System966African-American Political Choice1307Racial Group Interests, African-American Presidential Approval, and Macroeconomic Policy1618Group Interests, Class Divisions, and African-American Policy Preferences1819Epilogue: Racial Group Interests, Class, and the Future of African-American Politics204Bibliography213Index227

Promotional Information

Scholarship, in disciplines and subfields, significantly changes, when mature, inventive, and brilliant works emerge. This book is one such moment and event. It is a pioneering and painstaking exploration of African-American politics from the standpoint of the people in that community, using their opinions, attitudes, and behaviors as guides. -- Hanes Walton, Jr., University of Michigan Until now, no one has fully probed the contours of black group identity or looked systematically at the tension between solidarity and class differences among African Americans. Michael Dawson has done just that. He combines the best survey, a deep sense of historical and social context, and a vivid realization of why politics matters to show us how much African Americans remain unified, where they are dividing, and how racial group interests deeply affect all Americans. -- Jennifer Hochschild, Harvard University

About the Author

Michael C. Dawson is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago.

Reviews

Winner of the 1995 Outstanding Book Award, National Conference of Black Political Scientists "[Dawson's] insights are useful for opening discussions of the ideological underpinnings of African American political beliefs and behavior. Highly recommended."--Choice "Dawson's original analytics and wide-reaching empirical tests mark Behind the Mule as a new standard in the field of African-American politics."--American Political Science Review