Would We Know ‘Integration’ If We Were to See It? Measurement and The Imperative of Integration

Abstract

These comments in response to Elizabeth Anderson's The Imperative of Integration focus on the problems of measurement that arise from the next step of putting her theory of integration into practice. In fact, thinking about measurement helps us with the theory as well, since it highlights issues that may not have seemed as central or salient at first glance. Contemplating the units of analysis used in the measurement of segregation, how to measure integration, and what counts as diversity or integration in the minds of ordinary Americans forces us to think more concretely about what it means for a society to have integration, which is defined by Anderson as ‘the free interaction of citizens from all walks of life on terms of equality and mutual regard'. This article concludes with a couple of thoughts on political trade-offs that may be forced by integration.