Dark Ghettos: Injustice, Dissent, and Reform

Tommie Shelby's book "The Problem of the Ghetto" challenges the assumption that ghettos are problems best addressed with narrowly targeted government programs or civic interventions and argues that they are symptoms of the systemic injustice of the United States. The only real solution is the fundamental reform of the basic structure of society.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 352 pages
\n Publication date: 02 July 2018
\n Publisher: Harvard University Press
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The Spitz Prize, Conference for the Study of Political Thought, and the North American Society for Social Philosophy Book Award have all been won by Tommie Shelby. He contends that attempts to "fix" or "help" ghettos by focusing on factors like single motherhood, unemployment, or violent street crime overlook the fundamental questions of justice and fail to recognize the urban poor as moral agents responding to injustice. Shelby's book challenges the assumption that ghettos are problems best addressed through narrowly targeted government programs or civic interventions. Instead, he argues that ghettos are symptoms of the systemic injustice of the United States and represent the natural workings of a deeply unfair scheme. The only real solution, according to Shelby, is the fundamental reform of the basic structure of our society.

Winner of the Spitz Prize, Conference for the Study of Political Thought, and the North American Society for Social Philosophy Book Award

Tommie Shelby, a renowned scholar and commentator, has garnered significant recognition for his groundbreaking work on the persistence of American ghettos. In his book, Shelby challenges the conventional approaches to understanding and addressing this complex issue. Scholars and commentators often identify specific factors, such as single motherhood, joblessness, or violent street crime, as the key to solving the problem and recommend policies accordingly. However, Shelby argues that these attempts to "fix" or "help" ghettos ignore the fundamental questions of justice and fail to recognize the urban poor as moral agents responding to injustice.

"Provocative...[Shelby] doesn't lay out a jobs program or a housing initiative. Indeed, as he freely admits, he offers 'no new political strategies or policy proposals.' What he aims to do instead is both more abstract and more radical: to challenge the assumption, common to liberals and conservatives alike, that ghettos are 'problems best addressed with narrowly targeted government programs or civic interventions. For Shelby, ghettos are something more troubling and less tractable: symptoms of the 'systemic injustice of the United States. They represent not aberrant dysfunction but the natural workings of a deeply unfair scheme. The only real solution, in this way of thinking, is the 'fundamental reform of the basic structure of our society.'"

James Ryerson, New York Times Book Review

The New York Times Book Review has praised Shelby's book for its thought-provoking insights and bold approach. James Ryerson, in his review, describes the book as "provocative" and notes that Shelby doesn't offer any concrete solutions or policy proposals. Instead, he challenges the prevailing assumption that ghettos are problems that can be addressed through narrow-minded government programs or civic interventions. For Shelby, ghettos are symptoms of a much deeper and more systemic issue: the systemic injustice of the United States. He argues that ghettos represent not aberrant dysfunction but the natural workings of a deeply unfair scheme. The only real solution, according to Shelby, is the fundamental reform of the basic structure of our society.

Shelby's book has received widespread attention and praise from scholars, policymakers, and the general public. It has challenged the dominant narratives about ghettos and sparked a much-needed debate about the systemic injustices that perpetuate them. By highlighting the moral agency of the urban poor and emphasizing the need for fundamental reform, Shelby's work offers a fresh perspective on addressing this pressing issue.

\n Weight: 470g\n
Dimension: 225 x 145 x 23 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780674984073\n \n