A New Look at Black Families

by Charles V. Willie Charles William Eliot Pro, Richard J. Reddick

Overview

Charles Willie and Richard Reddick's A New Look at Black Families has introduced thousands of students to the intricacies of the Black family in American society since its publication in 1976. Using a case study approach, Willie and Reddick show the varieties of the Black family experience and how those experiences vary by socioeconomic status. In addition to examining families of low-income, working, and middle classes, the authors also look to the family experiences of highly successful African Americans to try to identify the elements of the family environment leading to success. The authors puncture the myth of the Black matriarchy prevalent in the popular imagination; and they explore a variety of family configurations, including a family with same-gender parents.

The sixth edition has been reorganized and updated throughout. The new Part III—Cases Against and for Black Men and Women—unites two chapters from previous editions into a cohesive discussion of stereotypes and misunderstandings from both scholars and the mass media. Also, a new chapter on the Obama family offers support for cross-gender and cross-racial mentoring, and it demonstrates the value of extended family relations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742570085
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	02/16/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	302
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Charles V. Willie, Ph.D., is the Charles W. Eliot Professor of Education emeritus at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Richard J. Reddick, Ed.D., is assistant professor of educational administration at The University of Texas at Austin.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Conceptual Approach to the Study of Black Families
Chapter 2 1. Introduction
Chapter 3 2. Family Life and Social Stratification
Part 4 Analyses of Black Families by Social Class
Chapter 5 3. Middle-Class Black Families
Chapter 6 4. Working-Class Black Families
Chapter 7 5. Low-Income Black Families
Chapter 8 6. Social Classes and Family Adaptation: A Comparative Analysis
Part 9 Cases Against and For Black Men and Black Women
Chapter 10 7. The Case For and Against Black Males
Chapter 11 8. The Myth of the Black Matriarchy
Part 12 Alternative Pathways to Success
Chapter 13 9. Maternal Mentoring Models
Chapter 14 10. Paternal Mentoring Models
Chapter 15 11. Family Goals and Practices Among Same-Gender Parents
Chapter 16 12. The Egalitarian Family
Part 17 Black Families and the Social System
Chapter 18 13. Social and Economic Supports for Black Family Life
Chapter 19 14. The Complex and Interesting Family Life of Barack Obama: The First Black President of the United States
Part 20 Summary, Conclusions and References
Chapter 21 15. Summary and Conclusions

Editorial Reviews

An outstanding, thoughtful, rigorous and revealing study of how race, class and family matter in 21st century America. These complex intersections are revealed in the voices, case studies and personal histories of Black women and men of achievement who share intimate portraits of Black family life in low-income, working-class and affluent circumstances. This book offers substantial theoretical, research, and policy lessons for readers interested in understanding the paradox of persistent inequality alongside improved life opportunities for some Blacks in our society...

Walter R. Allen

A New Look at Black Familiesprovides a provocative and precocious analysis of the diversity of the black family experience in which black families of all socioeconomic classes are regarded as contributing to the greater social fabric of American life.

Journal Of African American Studies

With a sensitive eye to the diversity of experiences that characterize African Americans, Willie and Reddick put to rest the stubbornly persistent notion of a single “black experience.” A book that does not shy away from either scholarly or policy controversies, A New Look at Black Families makes a valuable contribution to the national conversation on race.

Mario Luis Small

For a nuanced, readable, accurate picture of the state of the family in African America for scholars and their students, this New Look will be essential reading.

Adolescence Magazine

A New Look at Black Familiesprovides a provocative and precocious analysis of the diversity of the black family experience in which black families of all socioeconomic classes are regarded as contributing to the greater social fabric of American life.

-- "Journal Of African American Studies"

An outstanding, thoughtful, rigorous and revealing study of how race, class and family matter in 21st century America. These complex intersections are revealed in the voices, case studies and personal histories of Black women and men of achievement who share intimate portraits of Black family life in low-income, working-class and affluent circumstances. This book offers substantial theoretical, research, and policy lessons for readers interested in understanding the paradox of persistent inequality alongside improved life opportunities for some Blacks in our society.--Walter R. Allen, University of California, Los Angeles, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Education

With a sensitive eye to the diversity of experiences that characterize African Americans, Willie and Reddick put to rest the stubbornly persistent notion of a single "black experience." A book that does not shy away from either scholarly or policy controversies, A New Look at Black Families makes a valuable contribution to the national conversation on race.--Mario Luis Small, University of Chicago

From the Publisher