Who speaks for the dispossessed?

Abstract

This commentary articulates three perspectives on race in America: economic determinism, institutionalism and a field-theoretic approach. It argues that William Julius Wilson's masterwork, The Declining Significance of Race, was informed by the first and anticipated the latter two. Wilson's most profound and enduring legacy is his unwavering concern for the dispossessed.

Keywords:

• race
• class
• history
• urban poverty
• public policy
• William Julius Wilson

Acknowledgements

I thank Bruce Western and Deborah De Laurell for feedback on earlier drafts.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Matthew Desmond

MATTHEW DESMOND is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Social Studies at Harvard University. After receiving his PhD in 2010 from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, he joined the Harvard Society of Fellows as a Junior Fellow. He is writing a book on the causes, dynamics and consequences of eviction and the affordable housing crisis.