1 The American Dream: Origins and Prospects
2 On Being Made of the Right Stuff: The Case for Merit
3 The Silver Spoon: Inheritance and the Staggered Start
4 It’s Not What You Know But . . .: Social and Cultural Capital
5 Making the Grade: Education and Mobility
6 I Did It My Way: The Decline of Self-Employment and the Ascent of
Corporations
7 The Luck Factor: Being in the Right Place at the Right Time:
8 Mobility Through Marriage: The Cinderella Effect
9 An Unlevel Playing Field: Racism, Sexism, and Other Isms
10 Growing Inequality in the Twenty-First Century: What Can Be
Done?
Stephen J. McNamee is professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He wrote previous editions of The Meritocracy Myth with Robert K. Miller, Jr. (1949–2015), who was also a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Balanced, well written, and sharply focused on the vexing question
of who gets ahead and why. McNamee challenges anyone who has an
opinion on inequality, jarring the contented, encouraging the
discouraged, and inspiring the activists. Now in its 4th edition,
The Meritocracy Myth remains a necessary and welcome addition to
the syllabus of courses on social inequality.
*David J. Maume, Professor of Sociology, University of
Cincinnati*
I don’t think there is a competitor that accomplishes what this
book does—summarize the sociology of inequality in a clear,
interesting, and succinct-yet-thorough fashion. The Meritocracy
Myth provides a coherent perspective on the world. Many textbooks
are a long mishmash of theories and facts; this one has a
compelling message and point of view.
*Scott Harris, Saint Louis University*
The Meritocracy Myth is an accessible text and a captivating
subject of study for students from diverse backgrounds and
disciplines, both undergraduates and graduates. The author provides
an excellent introduction to the idea of the American Dream and its
tenets as well as the notion of meritocracy as a characteristic and
the dominant ideology of US society.
*Wendy Brandon, Associate Professor of Education, Rollins
College*
American cultural explanations of success and failure—with their
outsized emphases on the roles of hard work and smart choices—offer
only a partial understanding of people’s fortunes. This makes it
difficult for Americans to fully understand social problems like
inequalities based on race, class, and gender. Stephen McNamee’s
important book, The Meritocracy Myth, gives students and citizens
alike a much deeper and more complete understanding of why some
people succeed and some people fail. McNamee expertly explains how
individuals are entangled in a web of forces that interact to shape
their fortunes—from the impact of families and schools, to larger
economic and political forces beyond our immediate environments and
control. The fourth edition includes an additional section on
marriage and mobility. To solve our most pressing problems, we need
informed, engaged, and responsible citizens—this book is essential
reading in that pursuit.
*Lawrence M. Eppard, Shippensburg University*
Over and over again, I find myself choosing The Meritocracy Myth
over other good books on US inequality. It meets my students where
they are and systematically unravels their delusions. I frequently
recommend it to colleagues and friends: to economists for the
cultural analysis, to cultural sociologists for the structural
critiques, and to activists to sharpen their persuasive powers.
Most importantly, no one could read this book without becoming
fired up to push our society towards fairness.
*Betsy Leondar-Wright, Lasell College*
We are bombarded with messages that if you work hard you will
succeed. The Meritocracy Myth deftly unpacks these messages,
helping readers understand the processes at work that demystify
this myth. With a new chapter on marriage and mobility, this
edition deepens our understanding of the ways in which the playing
field is not even and the system does not necessarily reward
ability and talent. Now, more than ever, this book rings true.
*Leslie Hossfeld, Mississippi State University*
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