Entrepreneurship and Self-Help Among Black Americans: A Reconsideration of Race and Economics (Suny Series in Ethnicity and Race in American Life) [Paperback]

John Sibley Bulter (Author), John Sibley Butler (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 29, 2005 | Series: Suny Series in Ethnicity and Race in American Life

This long-awaited revision of a classic work traces the unique development of business enterprises and other community organizations among black Americans from before the Civil War to the present.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Since its publication in 1991, Entrepreneurship and Self-Help among Black Americans has become a classic work, influencing the study of entrepreneurship and, more importantly, revitalizing a research tradition that places new ventures at the very center of success for black Americans. This revised edition updates and enhances the work by bringing it into the twenty-first century. John Sibley Butler traces the development of black enterprises and other community organizations among black Americans from before the Civil War to the present. He compares these efforts to other strong traditions of self-help among groups such as Japanese Americans, Jewish Americans, Greek Americans, and exciting new research on the Amish and the Pakistani. He also explores how higher education is already a valued tradition among black self-help groups-such that today their offspring are more likely to be third and fourth generation college graduates. Butler effectively challenges the myth that nothing can be done to salvage America's underclass without a massive infusion of public dollars, and offers a fresh perspective on those community based organizations and individuals who act to solve local social and economic problems.

About the Author

John Sibley Butler is Professor of Sociology and Management and holds the Gale Chair in Entrepreneurship in the Graduate School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. He is Visiting Distinguished Professor at Aoyama Gakuin University, School of International Politics, Economics, and Business, in Tokyo, Japan, and is Distinguished Libra Professor at the University of Southern Maine, where he is working to enhance the economic prosperity of that region. He is also the editor of The National Journal of Sociology.

Product Details

• Paperback: 418 pages
• Publisher: State University of New York Press; Revised edition (March 29, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0791458946
• ISBN-13: 978-0791458945
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #615,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb sociological overview of Black entrepreneurship, October 23, 1998

By 

M. Sanchez (Boston) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Entrepreneurship and Self-Help Among Black Americans: A Reconsideration of Race and Economics (Suny Series in Ethnicity and Race in American Life) (Paperback)

I used this publication for a school paper on the history of black economic development, and it was really my most invaluable resource. Not only does Butler discuss black entrepreneurship throughout American history, but he also compares the experiences of African-Americans to other ethnic groups and explains why African-Americans have been so relatively unsuccessful because of a theory that he calls the "economic detour theory." Chock full of information, it is not only a historical account but a sociological study into the state of black economic development. It is highly recommended!