The Derrick Bell Reader / Edition 1

by Richard Delgado, Jean Stefancic

Overview

An essential collection of the writings of progressive lawyer and race activist Derrick Bell

Lawyer, activist, teacher, writer: for over 40 years, Derrick Bell provoked his critics and challenged his readers with uncompromising candor and progressive views on race and class in America. A founder of Critical Race Theory and pioneer of the use of allegorical stories as tools of analysis, Bell's groundbreaking work shattered conventional legal orthodoxies and turned comfortable majoritarian myths inside out.

Edited and with an extensive introduction by leading critical race theorists Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, The Derrick Bell Reader reflects the tremendous breadth of issues that Bell grappled with over his phenomenal career, including affirmative action, Black nationalism, legal education and ethics. Together, these selections offer the most complete collection of Derrick Bell's writing available today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814719701
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	08/01/2005
Series:	Critical America , #75
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	493
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.92(d)

About the Author

Richard Delgado (Editor)
Richard Delgado is John J. Sparkman Chair of Law at the University of Alabama and one of the founders of critical race theory. His books include The Latino/a Condition: A Critical Reader (coedited with Jean Stefancic) and The Rodrigo Chronicles.

Jean Stefancic (Editor)
Jean Stefancic is Professor and Clement Research Affiliate at the University of Alabama School of Law. Her books include No Mercy: How Conservative Think Tanks and Foundations Changed America’s Social Agenda. She and Delgado edited Critical Race Theory: The Cutting Edge.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Prologue:
The Chronicle of the Constitutional Contradiction
Chapter 1: Economic Determinism and Interest Convergence
Chapter 2: Racial Realism
Chapter 3: Ethics of Lawyering
Chapter 4: Revisionist History
Chapter 5: Sexuality and Romance
Chapter 6: Politics of the Academy
Chapter 7: Nationalism, Separatism, and Self-Help
Chapter 8: Price of Racial Remedies
Chapter 9: Pedagogy
Chapter 10: Racial Standing
Chapter 11: Racism as Meanness
Chapter 12: Popular Democracy
Chapter 13: Race and Class
Chapter 14: Survival Strategies
Chapter 15: Critiques
Bibliography
Index
About the Editors

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“A growing number of scholars have helped us understand the law’s impact on both the major events and the minutia of our daily lives. It's safe to say, however, that few do so with the provocative verve and vigor of Derrick Bell. This volume is a must read for long-time followers of Derrick Bell’s work as well as casual readers looking for material that is both intellectually stimulating and entertaining.”
-Henry Louis Gates, Jr.,co-author of The Future of the Race

“Finally, the essence of Derrick Bell as a scholar, teacher, and activist is captured in the Derrick Bell Reader. Bell’s remarkable career, as a civil rights attorney, scholar on race and justice, and activist promoting the rights of all citizens, is fully addressed. It is a great read.”
-Charles J. Ogletree, Jr.,author of All Deliberate Speed

“Derrick Bell’s impressive body of scholarship continues to inspire generations of readers by inviting them into an extended conversation between him and a community of people who gave life to his vision and generously shared their own wisdom in search of justice.”
-Lani Guinier and Gerald Torres,co-authors of The Miner's Canary

“Biting, intense, full of dramatic surprises and brilliant insights, Bell’s work is the antidote to all the feel-good narratives of racial change.”
-Duncan Kennedy,author of Legal Education and the Reproduction of Hierarchy

“For those who agree, or disagree, with Bell's radical departure from accepted racial notions, The Derrick Bell Reader offers plenty to dissect. The book could not have arrived at a better time.”
-Brian Gilmore,Howard University School of Law

Editorial Reviews

"Derrick Bell's impressive body of scholarship continues to inspire generations of readers by inviting them into an extended conversation between him and a community of people who gave life to his vision and generously shared their own wisdom in search of justice."

Lani Guinier and Gerald Torres

"Biting, intense, full of dramatic surprises and brilliant insights, Bell's work is the antidote to all the feel-good narratives of racial change."

Duncan Kennedy

"Finally, the essence of Derrick Bell as a scholar, teacher, and activist is captured in The Derrick Bell Reader. Bell's remarkable career, as a civil rights attorney, scholar on race and justice, and activist promoting the rights of all citizens, is fully addressed. It is a great read."

Charles J. Ogletree

"For those who agree, or disagree, with Bell's radical departure from accepted racial notions, The Derrick Bell Reader offers plenty to dissect. The book could not have arrived at a better time."

Brian Gilmore

"A growing number of scholars have helped us understand the law's impact on both the major events and the minutiae of our daily lives. It's safe to say, however, that few do so with the provocative verve and vigor of Derrick Bell. This volume is a must read for long-time followers of Derrick Bell's work as well as casual readers looking for material that is both intellectually stimulating and entertaining."

Henry Louis Gates

"A growing number of scholars have helped us understand the laws impact on both the major events and the minutia of our daily lives. It's safe to say, however, that few do so with the provocative verve and vigor of Derrick Bell. This volume is a must read for long-time followers of Derrick Bells work as well as casual readers looking for material that is both intellectually stimulating and entertaining."

Henry Louis Gates Jr.

A growing number of scholars have helped us understand the law’s impact on both the major events and the minutia of our daily lives. It's safe to say, however, that few do so with the provocative verve and vigor of Derrick Bell. This volume is a must read for long-time followers of Derrick Bell’s work as well as casual readers looking for material that is both intellectually stimulating and entertaining.”
-Henry Louis Gates, Jr.,co-author of The Future of the Race

From the Publisher