American Sociology and Black Assimilation: Conflicting Perspectives

The theme of the eventual assimilation of the racial and ethnic minorities of the United States has been a recurrent preoccupation of American sociology. This paper examines some of the major arguments which have appeared in the sociological literature in support of the view that the outcome of race relations in the United States will be the assimilation of the Negro into American mainstream culture. The affinity of sociological with liberal views of the racial question is noted, and it is concluded that a perspective which takes account of the social forces generating ethnicity as well as those favoring assimilation is necessary for an accurate and relevant analysis of the role of ethnic and racial groups in American life.