Identity politics

Mathew Forstater forstate at levy.org
Wed May 27 14:39:47 PDT 1998


Jim- Where in RI does Reich make the argument that white workers gain in the short run?

I don't want to come off as saying his book is of no value or anything like that. But I have been influenced by the very penetrating criticisms by Shulman, Rhonda Williams. I don't want to repeat them all here, but just to mention one, his discussion of unemployment and the reserve army is...well...there is no discussion of unemployment or the reserve army! In a book on racial inequality in the US!

-Mat

On Wed, 27 May 1998, James Devine wrote:


> elided). I want to add that I like (my interpretation) of Michael Reich's
> thesis in RACIAL INEQUALITY: though white workers gain in the short-term
> from racism (closed shops, etc.), they lose in the long run (since closed
> shops undermine the broad movements necessary for not only revolution but
> progressive reforms, even on the micro level). Reich shows that interracial
> wage inequality is closely related to intra-racial inequality between wages
> and property income.



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list