This text examines what, precisely, is the clash over race in America in the 1990s and whether it supports the charge of a new racism. It provides an articulation of what has happened and of how racial issues have become entangled with politics - the process of negotiating who gets what through government action - resulting in a politics of race.

Do "black pride" and "black prejudice" come hand in hand? Does taking pride in being black encourage the rejection of a common bond with other Americans?

In this groundbreaking study, two leading social scientists mount a challenge to those who would answer "yes." Paul Sniderman and Thomas Piazza probe these questions in the only way possible--asking black Americans themselves to share their thoughts about each other, America, and other Americans.

Writing in a strikingly transparent style, they open a new window on the ideas and values of real individuals who make up...