Race and Place: Race Relations in an American City. By Susan Welch, Lee Sigelman, Timothy Bledsoe, and Michael Combs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. 224p. $55.00 cloth, $20.00 paper

Extract

Much has been written about racial residential segregation in American society and its effect on race relations and the quality of life for African Americans (e.g., see Douglas S. Massey and Nancy A. Denton, American Apartheid 1993). While residential segregation remains a prominent and disturbing feature of urban America, there are signs of increasing residential integration. In light of this growing trend, Race and Place addresses the key question: How does residential context affect the attitudes and perceptions of both blacks and whites about race? The answer, according to Susan Welch, Lee Sigelman, Timothy Bledsoe, and Michael Combs, depends to a large extent on racial patterns of neighborhoods. The study of race and residence has not, to date, accounted for the myriad ways that neighborhood context affects racial attitudes. This well-written book is an impressive work that will help fill the void. Its detailed analysis is sure to be of enormous interest to every serious student of racial and urban politics.