Social Scientists for Social Justice: Making the Case against Segregation

by John P. Jackson Jr.

Overview

In one of the twentieth century's landmark Supreme Court cases, Brown v. Board of Education, social scientists such as Kenneth Clark helped to convince the Supreme Court Justices of the debilitating psychological effects of racism and segregation. John P. Jackson, Jr., examines the well-known studies used in support of Brown, such as Clark’s famous “doll tests,” as well as decades of research on race which lead up to the case. Jackson reveals the struggles of social scientists in their effort to impact American law and policy on race and poverty and demonstrates that without these scientists, who brought their talents to bear on the most pressing issues of the day, we wouldn’t enjoy the legal protections against discrimination we may now take for granted. For anyone interested in the history and legacy of Brown v. Board of Education, this is an essential book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814742662
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	11/01/2001
Series:	Critical America , #85
Pages:	291
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.94(d)

About the Author

John P. Jackson, Jr., is Assistant Professor of Communication at the University of Colorado. He is also the author of Social Scientists for Social Justice: Making the Case against Segregation (NYU Press, 2001).

John P. Jackson Jr. is Assistant Professor of Communication at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He is the author of Science for Segregation: Race, Law, and the Case against Brown v. Board of Education, also published by NYU Press.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
1 Introduction: Framing the Historical Problem
I Background
2 The Study of Race between the Wars
3 Effect of World War II on the Study of Racial Prejudice
II Forging the Alliance
4 The American Jewish Congress
5 Pre-Brown Litigation
III Brown Litigation
6 Recruiting Expert Witnesses
7 Testimony of the Experts
8 Supreme Court Hearings and Decision, Brown I
9 Supreme Court Hearings and Decision,Brown II
IV Dissolution
10 Committee of Social Science Consultants
11 Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“A deeply researched, clearly written account of an important subject. Thorough and well organized. Gives the reader a clear understanding of what liberal social scientists were thinking in 1954. This contribution will be of interest to both historians and social scientists.”
-Raymond Wolters,University of Delaware

“Relying substantially on archival sources, Jackson helps us to understand how science was involved in the landmark Brown vs. the Board of Education case, and how the scientists themselves conceived of their role in the legal process. In addition, he provides a fascinating account of the relationship between Jewish organizations and the NAACP in their joint effort to oppose discriminatory policies.”

-William Tucker,Rutgers University

“A provocative analysis of social scientists' role in the landmark desegregation case Brown v. Board of Education.“
-Law & History Review

,

“A wide reading of manuscript sources, court cases, and secondary works. . . . A very good book that is well worth the reading.”
-American Historical Review

,

“Jackson's excellent study. . . . places the fight against segregation within a much broader historical context. . . . It greatly illuminates the development of social science knowledge about the crucial topic of race in modern America.”
-History of Education Quarterly

Editorial Reviews

"Jackson's excellent study. . . . places the fight against segregation within a much broader historical context. . . . It greatly illuminates the development of social science knowledge about the crucial topic of race in modern America."

History of Education Quarterly

"A deeply researched, clearly written account of an important subject. Thorough and well organized. Gives the reader a clear understanding of what liberal social scientists were thinking in 1954. This contribution will be of interest to both historians and social scientists."

Raymond Wolters

"A wide reading of manuscript sources, court cases, and secondary works. . . . A very good book that is well worth the reading"

American Historical Review

"Relying substantially on archival sources, Jackson helps us to understand how science was involved in the landmark Brown vs. the Board of Education case, and how the scientists themselves conceived of their role in the legal process. In addition, he provides a fascinating account of the relationship between Jewish organizations and the NAACP in their joint effort to oppose discriminatory policies."

William Tucker

A wide reading of manuscript sources, court cases, and secondary works. . . . A very good book that is well worth the reading.”
- American Historical Review

“A provocative analysis of social scientists' role in the landmark desegregation case Brown v. Board of Education.“
• Law & History Review

“Jackson's excellent study. . . . places the fight against segregation within a much broader historical context. . . . It greatly illuminates the development of social science knowledge about the crucial topic of race in modern America.”
• History of Education Quarterly

“Relying substantially on archival sources, Jackson helps us to understand how science was involved in the landmark Brown vs. the Board of Education case, and how the scientists themselves conceived of their role in the legal process. In addition, he provides a fascinating account of the relationship between Jewish organizations and the NAACP in their joint effort to oppose discriminatory policies.”

-William Tucker,Rutgers University

From the Publisher

"A provocative analysis of social scientists' role in the landmark desegregation case Brown v. Board of Education."

Law & History Review