Sociological Studies of American Blacks

Abstract

The paper reviews sociological work dealing with American Blacks. In the past five decades three themes have largely dominated the work; (1) a description and documentation of Black disadvantage within American Life; (2) an attack upon racist notions of Black biological inferiority; and (3) an interpretation of Black disadvantages as derived from White prejudice and discrimination. The work has been largely static and non-processual in character, derived largely from the structure-function model of society. The paper calls for the employment of multiple models and for emphasis upon a dynamic, processual model of social life. The concepts of network and field appear to offer much promise.