RACE, CLASS AND SEGREGATION - DISCOURSES ABOUT AFRICAN-AMERICANS

It is common in the social sciences for research topics, evidence, int erpretations and intellectual conflict to be organized within a domina nt discourse. Examples that come readily to mind include modernization , community power structure and pluralism. Like great hippopotamuses. these linguistic animals take up much space and eat up resources withi n academic disciplines, the media and government. Of course, there are usually other intelectual animals lurking around these giants, not me rely raising dissenting voices, but even trying to speak other languag es. Dominant discourses become dominant in the first place, however, b ecause they reflect and reinforce an army of interests - cultural, pol itical, economic - generally, though not solely, those of the rich and powerful. So it is not easy for other voices to be heard, much less t o redefine the reigning way of talking about things. Yet ways of speak ing do change when the moment is right. Perhaps we are at that point n ow with regard to the discourse about class and race in America, where the underclass has been the reigning hippopotamus. This paper constit utes a modest effort to sum up some of the dissident voices and disson ant evidence with regard to the topic of the socioeconomic situation o f African Americans, and perhaps thereby to break free of our obsessiv e use of underclass discourse to frame our discussions.