Houston and the Permanence of Segregation: An Afropessimist Approach to Urban History

In "Houston and the Permanence of Segregation," David Ponton argues that the postwar decades in Houston were "decades of capture" rather than "decades of promise" for black Houstonians, as they were constrained by gender, race, faith in the law, antiblack violence, and narrative structures of conventional histories. He explores how gender roles constrained thought in black freedom movements, how the "rule of law" compelled black Houstonians to view injustice as progress, and how antiblack terror undermined Houston's narrative of itself as a "heavenly" place. Today, Houston is one of the most racially diverse cities in the United States, but it remains one of the most starkly segregated. Ponton's study offers powerful tools for imagining the world otherwise.

Format: Hardback
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: 06 February 2024
Publisher: University of Texas Press

In the 1950s and beyond, the Supreme Court made decisions that seemed to offer immediate civil rights protections to racial minorities, relegating Jim Crow to the past. For black Houstonians who had been hoping and actively fighting for a "raceless democracy," these postwar decades were often seen as a time of promise. However, David Ponton argues in his book "Houston and the Permanence of Segregation" that these decades were instead "decades of capture." People were captured and constrained by gender, race, faith in the law, antiblack violence, and even the narrative structures of conventional histories. Ponton brings the insights of Black studies and Afropessimism to the field of urban history to explore how gender roles constrained thought in black freedom movements, how the "rule of law" compelled black Houstonians to view injustice as a sign of progress, and how antiblack terror undermined Houston's narrative of itself as a "heavenly" place.

Today, Houston is one of the most racially diverse cities in the United States, but it remains one of the most starkly segregated. Ponton's study demonstrates how and why segregation has become a permanent feature in our cities and offers powerful tools for imagining the world otherwise.

The book explores the ways in which gender roles constrained thought in black freedom movements, how the "rule of law" compelled black Houstonians to view injustice as a sign of progress, and how antiblack terror undermined Houston's narrative of itself as a "heavenly" place. It also examines how segregation has become a permanent feature in our cities and offers powerful tools for imagining the world otherwise.

Ponton's study is a valuable contribution to the field of urban history and provides a fresh perspective on the history of racism and segregation in Houston and beyond. It challenges the conventional narrative of progress and offers a more nuanced understanding of the complexities of race and inequality in our cities.

Weight: 594g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781477328477