Culture of Intolerance: Chauvinism, Class, and Racism in the United States

By Mark Nathan Cohen

Book Overview

Americans increasingly blame the failures of minority individuals in our society on "racial" inferiority. Anthropologist Mark Nathan Cohen argues cogently that the problems are cultural, not "racial," and that they are rooted in the assumptions of mainstream American culture, not in the biological or cultural failings of "others."

By summarizing scientific evidence proving that "races" do not exist and that few biological traits actually correlate with the color of one's skin, Cohen shows that differences in ability cannot be linked to "race." The growing gap between rich and poor and the economic subordination of minority groups, he says, are rooted in the arbitrary rules that govern American society. Culture constrains our ability to understand and appreciate the actions of others and often prevents us from seeing the consequences of our own actions or realizing our alternatives. American perceptions of what constitute merit, health, hygiene, freedom, progress, property, economics, justice--and even our own history--are distorted. Our insistence that ours is the best or only view promotes intolerance and racism. Cohen shows that definitions of intelligence, IQ tests, hiring practices, and evaluations of job performance contain many more cultural biases than we recognize and thus restrict the opportunities of minority individuals.

By breaking down American cultural assumptions, Cohen offers a strong defense of affirmative action and multicultural education. He concludes with some suggestions for the future--to end the racism and indifference to one another that mark our society.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300080662
• ISBN13: 9780300080667
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

What a great book!

Gives great definitions of basic but much confused terms like nation,culture, state etc. Beyond , it is wise, learned and and a real call for an end to hierarchy and domination , superior and inferior statuses in our thought and in society. We need more books like this that really critique American society.

A scholar's deconstruction of intolerance

"Culture of Intolerance: Chauvinism, Class, and Racism in the United States," by Mark Nathan Cohen, is a fascinating book. Cohen writes in a clear, accessible style, and handles controversial issues with a firm and non-sensational confidence.Cohen begins by considering the impact of the controversial book "The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life," by Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray. Cohen goes on to deconstruct prevailing notions about "race." He claims "'Races' as depicted in the popular imagination do not exist and have never existed" (chapter 2) and considers such scientific evidence as data about blood types in order to support his assertion.Cohen examines human culture, language in particular, and considers the often arbitrary nature of cultural phenomena. Among the phenomena he discusses are "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," breast feeding, IQ tests, and the debate over "Ebonics." Overall, an intelligent, thought-provoking book.

Great, Readable and Insightful Account of Modern Bias

This is a tremendous achievement: the book is readable, insightful, and original in the way it describes bias and inequality in America today. The book adds to a large number of books in the social sciences that try to understand why there is so much inequality today -- so few African-Americans, women and others at the top -- when so many people say that they don't intend to discriminate. Social psychologists have spent lots of time developing elaborate experimental theories of ingroup favoritism and concepts like aversive racism. This book, however, makes very similar points without getting bogged down in the technical details of experiments. It is an excellent book for an introduction to thinking about bias -- a superb book for an undergraduate course and many graduate seminars.