Affirmative Action: An Encyclopedia [2 volumes]

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Description

In 1961 President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 10925, requiring federal contractors to take affirmative action to employ workers on a nondiscriminatory basis. Since then, perhaps no issue in the modern American dialogue engenders such vociferous debate and controversy. This two-volume set contains more than 500 alphabetically arranged entries that offer current, accurate, and detailed information significantly related to affirmative action, including coverage of concepts, court cases, ethnic and social groups, events, government agencies, individuals, issues, laws, movements, and more. Entries also explore implementation of the concept in other countries, including Japan, Australia, India, South Africa, and Great Britain. Two appendices provide the full texts of Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger, the landmark affirmative action decisions handed down by the Supreme Court in June 2003. A timeline of major events traces the development of affirmative action in the United States from 1865 to the present, a bibliography lists important general works, and a Guide to Related Topics allows readers to trace such broad themes as affirmative action and civil rights, or such important information categories as major statutes and court cases, across a range of entries. Illustrated and cross-referenced, the entries conclude with specialized further reading lists and can be accessed through a detailed subject index.

Reviews

"[A] helpful handbook for students, their parents, and counselors who wish to maximize the benefits of applying to colleges and universities that employ affirmative action in their admissions decisions."-Against the Grain
"The editor of this guide sought to provide a neutral starting point for reference work for affirmative action. The 434 entries by legal and academic experts trace the background of equal rights protection from the Fourteenth Amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, constitutional concepts and legal theories....[h]ighly recommended for law and academic collections."-Thomson Gale Company
"This reference work brings together an impressive variety of information spanning the period from the end of the Civil War to the Supreme Court decisions handed down in June 2003 relating to the University of Michigan's admissions policies....This is a comprehensive resource that effectively and objectively discusses an complex and controversial topic. Separate articles outline arguments in favor of and against affirmative action....[r]ecommended for academic libraries and large public libraries."-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin
[A] helpful handbook for students, their parents, and counselors who wish to maximize the benefits of applying to colleges and universities that employ affirmative action in their admissions decisions.-Against the Grain
[A] quick, comprehensive, cross-disciplinary reference on affirmative action....A solid purchase for all libraries collecting reference works on law, politics, or public policy.-Library Journal
[H]ighly recommended for law and academic collections.-Gale Reference Reviews
An inspired idea, this encyclopedia strives to provide a resource for "dispassionate exploration" of this highly volatile, politically controversial, and often emotional issue. The editors have assembled a large roster of contributors, who provide overviews of current scholarship on affirmative action and related topics from a range of social science disciplines including history, political science, sociology, and law, and cover not just the US, but the entire world....Coverage runs well beyond affirmative action as a public policy response to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Like all good reference works, this one can be read selectively with enlightenment, but in the still unsettled nature of affirmative action, even a dispassionate encyclopedia invites its share of controversy. Recommended. All collections.-Choice
The editor of this guide sought to provide a neutral starting point for reference work for affirmative action. The 434 entries by legal and academic experts trace the background of equal rights protection from the Fourteenth Amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, constitutional concepts and legal theories....[h]ighly recommended for law and academic collections.-Thomson Gale Company
This reference work brings together an impressive variety of information spanning the period from the end of the Civil War to the Supreme Court decisions handed down in June 2003 relating to the University of Michigan's admissions policies....This is a comprehensive resource that effectively and objectively discusses an complex and controversial topic. Separate articles outline arguments in favor of and against affirmative action....[r]ecommended for academic libraries and large public libraries.-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin
This well-designed reference is a valuable resource for students interested in an introduction to persons, theories, legislation, and events associated with affirmative action involving gender, racial, ethnic, military, and religious issues....This reference source would be a worthwhile purchase for high school library media centers emphasizing contemporary issues. Recommended.-Library Media Connection
"A helpful handbook for students, their parents, and counselors who wish to maximize the benefits of applying to colleges and universities that employ affirmative action in their admissions decisions."-Against the Grain
"A quick, comprehensive, cross-disciplinary reference on affirmative action....A solid purchase for all libraries collecting reference works on law, politics, or public policy."-Library Journal
"Highly recommended for law and academic collections."-Gale Reference Reviews
"[A] quick, comprehensive, cross-disciplinary reference on affirmative action....A solid purchase for all libraries collecting reference works on law, politics, or public policy."-Library Journal
"[H]ighly recommended for law and academic collections."-Gale Reference Reviews
"This well-designed reference is a valuable resource for students interested in an introduction to persons, theories, legislation, and events associated with affirmative action involving gender, racial, ethnic, military, and religious issues....This reference source would be a worthwhile purchase for high school library media centers emphasizing contemporary issues. Recommended."-Library Media Connection
"An inspired idea, this encyclopedia strives to provide a resource for "dispassionate exploration" of this highly volatile, politically controversial, and often emotional issue. The editors have assembled a large roster of contributors, who provide overviews of current scholarship on affirmative action and related topics from a range of social science disciplines including history, political science, sociology, and law, and cover not just the US, but the entire world....Coverage runs well beyond affirmative action as a public policy response to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Like all good reference works, this one can be read selectively with enlightenment, but in the still unsettled nature of affirmative action, even a dispassionate encyclopedia invites its share of controversy. Recommended. All collections."-Choice

Author Bio

JAMES A. BECKMAN is Assistant Professor of Law and Justice at the University of Tampa. Previously, he served as a military lawyer for the U.S. Army and as an attorney for the U.S. Treasury Dept. He is the author and or editor of various publications. In 2001 he was selected as an artist-in-residence for the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park where he researched racial relations laws and norms.