The Anatomy of Racial Inequality With a New Preface

In this influential work, Glenn C. Loury provides a profound anatomical analysis of racial inequality in the United States, challenging both liberal and conservative orthodoxies. Rejecting the notion that persistent disparity is solely the result of 'discrimination in contract' or inherent cultural failings, Loury argues that the root cause lies in 'social stigma.' He introduces a theory of 'biased social cognition,' explaining how racial stereotypes function as self-reinforcing signals that lead to 'discrimination in contact'—the exclusion of Black Americans from the informal social networks where human capital is developed. By examining the link between social identity and economic outcome, Loury demonstrates how the stigma attached to Blackness perpetuates a cycle of disadvantage. This 20th-anniversary edition includes a new preface in which Loury reflects on the evolution of his own thinking and the continued relevance of his 'stigma' framework in the context of contemporary American racial politics.

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