Prejudicial Appearances: The Logic of American Antidiscrimination Law (Paperback)

~ Robert C. Post (Author), K. Anthony Appiah (Author), Judith Butler (Author), Thomas C. Grey (Author), Reva B. Siegel (Author)
Key Phrases: color blindness discourse, normative stereotypes, sex blindness, Santa Cruz, Robert Post, Colorblind Constitutionalism (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Post is one of the most sophisticated members of the legal academy, and, not surprisingly, he offers here an illuminating contrast between certain conventional, 'formal' approaches to analysing 'discrimination' and a far more contextual, sociologically nuanced understanding of social practices."- Sanford Levinson, author of Processes of Constitutional Decisionmaking: Cases and Materials "Post's argument is rigorous, inventive, and indeed groundbreaking. The commentators respond elegantly, maximising the potential of their disciplinary backgrounds to produce interesting differences in their approach to the issue. This is an excellent introduction to the real contours of anti-discrimination case law and to the best thinking about what equal protection can and should be."- Janey E. Halley, author of Don't: A Reader's Guide to the Military's Anti-Gay Policy

Product Description

In Prejudicial Appearances noted legal scholar Robert C. Post argues modern American antidiscrimination law should not be conceived as protecting the transcendental dignity of individual persons but instead as transforming social practices that define and sustain potentially oppressive categories like race or gender. Arguing that the prevailing logic of American antidiscrimination law is misleading, Post lobbies for deploying sociological understandings to reevaluate the antidiscrimination project in ways that would render the law more effective and just.

Four distinguished commentators respond to Post’s provocative essay. Each adopts a distinctive perspective. K. Anthony Appiah investigates the philosophical logic of stereotyping and of equality. Questioning whether the law ought to endorse any social practices that define persons, Judith Butler explores the tension between sociological and postmodern approaches to antidiscrimination law. Thomas C. Grey examines whether Post’s proposal can be reconciled with the values of the rule of law. And Reva B. Siegel applies critical race theory to query whether antidiscrimination law’s reshaping of race and gender should best be understood in terms of practices of subordination and stratification.

By illuminating the consequential rhetorical maneuvers at the heart of contemporary U.S. antidiscrimination law, Prejudical Appearances forces readers to reappraise the relationship between courts of law and social behavior. As such, it will enrich scholars interested in the relationships between law, rhetoric, postmodernism, race, and gender.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Duke University Press (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822327139
• ISBN-13: 978-0822327134
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
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• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #764,878 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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