The Myth of Post-racial America: Searching for Equality in the Age of Materialism

For many, the election of Barack Obama signaled that the US had become a postracial society. Kaplan (Africana studies, Univ. of South Florida) disputes this idea. He cites influential racial theorists, scholarly studies, and anecdotal evidence to support his conclusion that whites continue to dominate US society, and suggests that white domination will persist into the future. Kaplan warns that the US must become a postracial society if it is to remain a viable nation-state. The author excels at providing brief snapshots of continuing racial disparities in education, health, wealth, and crime and punishment. While Kaplan makes a compelling argument, the brevity of each of the book’s 17 chapters (10-12 pages on average) hampers its persuasiveness. For instance, Kaplan devotes only two pages to discussing the interesting claim that racial prejudice is primarily engendered by consumerism. In addition, the author heavily relies on secondary literature; consequently, he fails to provide any new insights into the problem of race or how to alleviate it. Despite these shortcomings, the book provides a useful primer for understanding contemporary race relations.

H. Roy Kaplan has provided a comprehensive historical, theoretical, and empirical analysis of the causes of racism in America. The Myth of Post-Racial America is replete with insights on the historical and contemporary dynamics of race and racism in the United States.