A welcome examination of affirmative action opposition in the often-overlooked period before Bakke. Choice Deslippe's treatment of labor's resistance in particular is balanced, detailed, and nuanced, and he includes an excellent chapter on the precursor of Bakke, DeFunis v. Odegaard (1974)... A valuable discussion that clearly adds to the scholarship on this crucial subject.
Kevin Yuill Journal of American ... Read moreHistory Ambitious and timely... The detail Deslippe provides in the creation of a 'reverse populism' that, in effect, made past discrimination into a union principle, is very powerful.
Bill Barry Labor Studies Journal It is difficult to think of a more timely historical topic: persistent ambivalence about affirmative action again collides with an economic downturn as an increasingly conservative Supreme Court considers landmark cases that may resolve some legal questions but are unlikely to end the almost half-century-old moral and political debate.
Serena Mayeri Journal of American Studies The detail Deslippe provides in the creation of a "reverse populism" that, in effect, made past discrimination into a union principle, is very powerful.
Bill Barry Labor Studies Journal In uncovering the murky and complex pre-history of contemporary affirmative action debates, Deslippe shows how changing social and economic circumstances shaped diverse understandings of the meaning of race, sex, opportunity, and disadvantage.
Katherine Turk American Studies Show Less