Uneven Roads: An Introduction to U.S. Racial and Ethnic Politics

No other book on the market maps U.S. race and ethnic politics with the same breadth and scope as Todd Shaw, Louis DeSipio, Dianne Pinderhughes, and Toni-Michelle C. Travis’s Uneven Roads; it explores when, why, and how race and ethnicity matter in U.S. politics. The book begins with an introduction to broad political racialization and the roots of modern interpretations of race and ethnicity. Historical chapters on each of the five groups identified in the U.S. Census—Native American, African American, Latino, Asian American, and White—offer an engaging narrative on race, prejudice, equal rights and opportunity up to the 1960s. Policy and social issue chapters carry the story up to the present day, providing a wide lens on topics including voting rights, political representation, education and criminal justice policies, and the immigrant experience. A final chapter on intersectionality examines how groups go beyond the boundaries of race and ethnicity to come together on matters of class, gender, and sexuality. 



“Uneven Roads is truly excellent. There is no doubt in my mind that this book will impact the field for many years to come. Authors Shaw, DeSipio, Pinderhughes, and Travis are all eminent scholars in political science, and the way that this book is written shows why! It is well-written, engaging, and provides the reader with thoughtful analyses of some of the most important questions in racial and ethnic politics in America.”

— Alvin B. Tillery, Jr., Northwestern University



“Uneven Roads is extremely well-written and easy to understand – it introduces students to important concepts and ideas without a lot of jargon. It is also very thorough and weaves contemporary issues and current events throughout the text.”

— Atiya Stokes-Brown, Bucknell University 



 “The biggest strength of Uneven Roads is its ambitious and long-overdue attempt at filling a gap in the textbook market where no other book takes such a long and broad look at race and ethnicity in our history.”

— Anirudh V.S. Ruhil, Ohio State University