Black Separatism and Social Reality: Rhetoric and Reason deals with the contemporary debate over black separatism in America. It brings together for the first time many of the perspectives, ideas, orientations, and ideologies that all directly or indirectly address the question of black separatism — pro and con — from the vantage point of their own realities. It raises fundamental issues that have recurred throughout the last century and continue unabated today, such as whether black Americans should seek their political destiny apart from white Americans, or whether economic growth within the black community can eventually lead to true ""black power."" This book is comprised of 31 chapters and begins with a historical overview and social reality of black separatism in America, how and why black separatist movements emerge and why separatism appeals to some individuals and not to others. The next section explores the similarities of white racist assumptions and black separatism as well as the arguments for and against separatism. The prospects of black separatism are analyzed, along with Pan-Africanism and black studies. A comprehensive review of the history of separatist thought and a bibliography concerning the relation of Afro-Americans with Africa are presented. The possibility of a violent confrontation between whites and blacks is also considered. Finally, the book ponders the question of whether there is a need for a distinct, ""black"" social science. This monograph will appeal to sociologists, social scientists, political scientists, politicians, blacks, and scholars of black studies.

Contains primary source material.

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How was racism institutionalized in the United States? What strategies have black people used in their struggle for liberation and equality? Joseph Scott addresses these weighty questions from the perspective that at its core, racism is a "legal-political problem in which blacks and whites have been assigned to separate legal estates.'" He enumerates three different forms of exploitation to which black people have been subjected, and seven basic strategies they have used to combat slavery and institutional racism.

Explains why "victimhood" is exaggerated and enshrined in African-American families and discusses why these attitudes are destructive to future generations.

A socialist scholar sheds light on the interwoven histories of racism and capitalism in the United States—with vital lessons for today’s struggle. In Black Liberation and Socialism, Ahmed Shawki underscores the need to a struggle against racism that is equally clear-eyed in its opposition to the economic and political system that supports it: capitalism. Shawki begins with a socialist perspective on the history of slavery in the United States. He then presents a sharp analysis of the country’s movements against racism—from the separatism of Marcus Garvey, to the militancy of Malcolm X and the Black Panther Party, to the eloquence of Martin Luther King Jr., and more. In the decades since the civil rights movement, many gains have been made—but there is still far to go to win genuine change. Black Liberation and Socialism is an essential primer on the history and future of the struggle against racism.