The Decline of Antiracism and the Future of Progressive Politics

"This is the most comprehensive treatment I have read about the origins of the identitarian left, why it succeeded for a time, and why it ultimately helped to produce a backlash against America’s great research universities. John Torpey is a skillful researcher and insightful observer. He shows that the racial politics of America’s leading cultural institutions often obscured deeper class realities – whether in the upper-SES biases of Ivy League diversification efforts or in the misreporting of allegedly racial hate crimes. The only solution to the dead end of identitarian politics, Torpey contends, is to turn our attention to addressing the injustices caused by class inequalities that affect whites and non-whites alike."

Steven Brint, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Public Policy, University of California, Riverside, and author of Two Cheers for Higher Education

"In The Decline of Antiracism and the Future of Progressive Politics, John Torpey’s analysis of the misadventures of academic 'antiracism' is knowledgeable, illuminating, and bracing. He posits provocative claims – for instance, that the antiracism movement has been as much counterproductive as progressive – that he unpacks with a winning combination of boldness and discipline. A piercing critic of sloppy and reckless thinking, Torpey offers useful guidance at a perilous moment."

Randall Kennedy, Michael R. Klein Professor of Law, Harvard Law School

"Democrats who want to figure out how their party lost America’s confidence must read The Decline of Antiracism and the Future of Progressive Politics. In trenchant prose, John Torpey shows how the deeply unpopular ethos of the Black Power movement, dressed up in new language, transformed higher education and the progressive movement. Many elites in the press missed the story, but as Torpey demonstrates in this superb narrative, working-class voters noticed and didn't like what they saw. This fair-minded book documents where liberalism went wrong, and how it can regain the early glory of the civil rights movement."

Richard D. Kahlenberg, author of Class Matters: The Fight to Get Beyond Race Preferences, Reduce Inequality and Build Real Diversity in America’s Colleges

"Progressives seeking to end poverty and strengthen democracy have, in recent years, often focused on what divides us. In The Decline of Antiracism and the Future of Progressive Politics, John Torpey argues that this emphasis on difference has undermined the left’s broader goals. He makes a compelling case for renewing progressive politics by reclaiming the power of shared values and common purpose."

John Atlas, author of Seeds of Change: The Story of ACORN, America’s Most Controversial Antipoverty Community Organizing Group