From the Bookshelves: Class and Race Formation in North America By James W. Russell

Class and Race Formation in North America By James W. Russell University of Toronto Press.  In this far-reaching study, Russell offers a comparative exploration of how patterns of class and racial inequality developed in the United States, Mexico, and Canada from the colonial pasts to the beginning of the North American Free Trade Agreement and beyond. He illustrates the effects of uneven economic development on both class and race in North America, examines how unique class and race dynamics in each of the countries have contributed to overall continental patters, and demonstrates the complexity of the ways in which class and race are interrelated. Ultimately, he reveals a continent of diverse historical experiences, class systems, and ways of thinking about race.

Contents: Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Origins of Inequality and Uneven Development; 3. A New Empire; 4. Immigration; 5. Race Mixture; 6. Accumulation of Capital and Dependent Development; 7. NAFTA; 8. Comparative Economic and Social Classes; 9. Racial Contours of North America; 10. A North American Social Model? Bibliography; Index

KJ