Diversity in the Power Elite: How It Happened, Why It Matters [Paperback]

Richard L. Zweigenhaft (Author), G. William Domhoff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2006

This book looks systematically at the extent to which Jews, women, African Americans, Latinos, Asians and gay men and lesbians have entered the higher circles of power that constituted what sociologist C. Wright Mills called 'the power elite.' Using a deft combination of academic research and telling anecdotes, the book examines the backgrounds and careers of such well-known members of the power elite as attorney general Alberto Gonzales, secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, former secretary of state Colin Powell, and former CEO of Hewlett-Packard Carly Fiorina to explain why and how the power elite has diversified and the effect this diversification has had on the way power works in the United States.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Zweigenhaft and Domhoff tell a profound sociological story about how the American elite has managed to accommodate successfully to growing societal diversity. Newcomers are allowed in, but they are changed in the process of entering: hence, the contemporary elite is no longer made up exclusively of white Christian men, but its members still share perspectives and values that favor narrow class interests regardless of where they came from. This powerful account demonstrates how a system of inequality can adapt to the pressure for social change. For today's diverse America, the old axiom, "plus ça change," will need to be translated into many more languages. (Richard Alba )

In Diversity in the Power Elite Zweigenhaft and Domhoff provide a clear, concise, and often ignored dimension in power analysis. Applying a critical lens, the authors insightfully explore the ironies of the American elite: it has struggled to preserve its white male privilege, while begrudgingly allowing limited space for elites from various racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual orientations. This book provides the missing link to our discussions regarding diversity in America. (Rodney Coates )

[This work] is based on meticulous scholarship, crammed with facts, and nonetheless is a good read. (Book Review Digest )

. . . entertaining and easy to read. Recommended. (Choice )

About the Author

Richard L. Zweigenhaft is Dana Professor of Psychology at Guilford College, where he chairs the social science division and directs the communications concentration. G. William Domhoff is a Research Professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. They have coauthored four books together: Jews in the Protestant Establishment (1982), Blacks in the White Establishment: A Study of Race and Class in America (1991), Diversity in the Power Elite: Have Women and Minorities Reached the Top? (1998), and Blacks in the White Elite: Will the Progress Continue? (2003).

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (April 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742536998
• ISBN-13: 978-0742536999
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #683,541 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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