Thoughts on Black Conservativism: A Review Essay

In Reflections of an Affirmative Action Baby, Stephen L. Carter, an Afro-American law professor at Yale University, has written a wide-ranging book on affirmative action policy. Like numerous other books on the subject, Carter covers the issues of its legitimacy as policy, white opposition, impact on black mobility, and contradictions faced by universities in administering affirmative action. Carter also offers a new area of discussion — namely, the evolving division among Afro-Americans regarding affirmative action, allocating six of eleven chapters to facets of this issue. Carter uses his own experiences to frame these discussions — a mode of discourse that offers considerable rhetorical facility. This outcome suits his essential purpose, to highlight the downside rather than the upside of affirmative action policy. But unlike such openly conservative critics of affirmative action as Nathan Glazer and Thomas Sowell, Carter arrives at a negative position after having first embraced affirmative action. Hence, his characterization of himself as an affirmative action baby

La politique d'«Affirmative Action» dans le système américain

Par un système de traitement préférentiel, la politique d'Affirmative Action mise en place dans les années 60 vise à permettre un accès égalitaire aux institutions politiques et sociales des groupes qui en étaient exclus jusque là - les Noirs , les Hispaniques... ainsi que les femmes. Un bilan, en forme de défense et illustration, de cette politique.Kilson Martin, Cottingham Clement, ISM-TI. La politique d'«Affirmative Action» dans le système américain. In: Hommes et Migrations, n°1162-1163, Février-mars 1993. Fragments d'Amérique. Migrants et minorités aux USA. pp. 29-35