Race and Contention in Twenty-First Century U.S. Media

"Smith and Thakore, up and coming leaders in the area of sociology of race and media, have their fingers on the pulse. Race and Contention in Twenty-First Century U.S. Media is a solid and important collection of research that wrestles with white supremacy, power, and media in the context of a U.S. racialized social system. If you are looking for a comprehensive collection of research that is sociologically engaging, cutting-edge, and keeps it real, look no further—you’re looking at it!" - David G. Embrick, University of Connecticut, Founding Co-editor of Sociology of Race & Ethnicity

"A wonderful collection of cutting-edge articles on race, racism, and the media. Race and Contention in Twenty-First Century U.S. Media provides a broad and penetrating examination of how even the newest of new media often serves to reproduce racist images and racial hierarchies." - Woody Doane, University of Hartford

"Jason Smith and Bhoomi Thakore have assembled a rich array of contemporary theoretical and empirical chapters which deftly illustrate the negative impacts of the intersection of race and the media in the political economy. The chapters highlight the power of the media in creating and conveying the messages, images, and information which control and influence our opinions and values, especially on racial and ethnic issues and themes. The chapters focused on popular television, films, magazines and news channels, however, the consistent themes reverberating throughout the chapters were those which approached the issues discussed from the perspectives of critical race theory, structural analysis, conflict theory, and power inequalities. The chapters in this volume address one of the major issues and questions central to our democracy, one we have not fully resolved: Should the media serve the interests of the entire population, including racial and ethnic groups, or should it continue to serve the interests of powerful owners and those who represent powerful majority groups? The chapters in this volume will be of special interest to scholars in the fields of sociology, psychology, communications, political science, and media studies." - Rutledge M. Dennis, George Mason University

"The editors and authors of Race and Contention in Twenty-First Century U.S. Media have made an insightful and timely contribution to race and media studies literature. This volume makes clear how colour-blind racism operates in diverse media contexts, from institutions to individuals, particularly people of colour who attempt to navigate these structures. The text also gives scholars as well as instructors specific instances of how race and racism continue to manifest in contemporary U.S. media."- Karen M. Bowdre, Indiana University at Bloomington in Howard Journal of Communications (2017)

"A 2016 Bloomberg article, “Calling All Sociologists: America Needs You,” solicited sociologists to address America’s social dysfunctions in the public sphere. This collection of essays assembled by Smith and Thakore answers the call by mapping out how popular media perpetuates and resists racism in society. With the rise of “fake news” and the U.S. president using Twitter as his major mode of communication, sociologists cannot afford to ignore the role of media in transmitting racist ideology."- Nancy Wang Yuen, Biola University in Contemporary Sociology (2017)