The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America
Description
How did the idea of “black criminality” become a cornerstone of modern urban America? In this landmark history, Khalil Gibran Muhammad traces the emergence of racialized crime narratives from the late nineteenth century onward, showing how census data, migration patterns, and public “crime statistics” were woven into a broader story of Black danger—especially in the urban North. By following the ways social scientists, reformers, and policymakers interpreted (and weaponized) evidence, the book reveals how seemingly neutral language could legitimize discrimination, justify violence, and sustain mass incarceration. Blending rigorous scholarship with a sharp analysis of power, The Condemnation of Blackness illuminates the enduring themes of race, crime, and the politics of “objectivity” that continue to shape contemporary debates about justice and inequality.
Available Editions
paperback
Harvard University Press
Published Jan 1, 2010
380 pages
ISBN: 9780674035973
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Details
First Published
2010
Language
eng
Content Warnings
Content and trigger warnings for The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America by Khalil Gibran Muhammad.