Why We Need More Marxism in the Sociology of Race

This essay focuses on contemporary sociology-of-race scholarship. Most sociological race scholarship is assimilationist in that it focuses on removing structural barriers to full incorporation of racial minorities, especially black people, into mainstream institutions. A second perspective (the racial formation) perspective highlights the role of racism (discriminatory beliefs and behaviors) in thwarting racial equality. Both overlook aspects of capitalism-predicted by Marx and borne out by observed trends such as the greater concentration of wealth-that suggest that it may be a system that fundamentally limits a society's ability to attain racial equality.