University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 31, May 15

                                   
           Prof. Jones expands book on prejudice and racism
                                   
     People find psychological solace in elevating
themselves at the expense of others," which, psychologist
James Jones, said is why prejudice and racism won't soon go
away.
     That destructive longevity is the reason Jones,
professor of social psychology, felt the need to update
Prejudice and Racism, the textbook he wrote in 1972 when he
was teaching at Harvard University.
     Both editions tell students about the historical,
social and psychological manifestations of prejudice. But,
"the first edition stopped just after the 1960s, Martin
Luther King Jr., the civil rights movement and the Great
Society, when we thought the country was headed toward a
color-blind society," Jones explained.
     That vision didn't materialize. In fact, Jones said he
doesn't see much more than surface integration and trust
between the races today.
     Jones did admit that some African Americans are much
better off financially, but rather than that being a blow to
racism, he sees it as an economic victory for a few.
     "Blacks who are worse off have taken a giant step
backward." Jones said there's evidence that things may be
getting worse.
     "I could pick up the Washington Post every single day
and it's filled with stories about prejudice and racism,"
Jones said, referring to the attack on affirmative action,
the reaction to the O.J. Simpson trial, Rodney King, hate
crimes on campuses, church burnings and denying rights to
immigrants.
     "Prejudice is a problem of differences. We treat people
differently who are not like us, and we think people who are
like us are better than they are," he said. "Racism is
organic, evolutionary. It changes over time, and that's why
there will always be a need to update my book."
     To examine the nature, depth and subtlety of the
problem, factoring in what's been learned over the past 25
years, Jones had to nearly triple the size of his original
book.
     Part one is now an historical overview and analysis of
race relations through 1995. It includes the post '60s trend
toward social conservatism; ethnic, gender and racial pride;
the attack on affirmative action; and an increase in
intergroup antagonisms.
     But, the real meat of the revision, he said, comes in
part two, which summarizes research and theory on the
psychology of prejudice. In 1972, that amounted to one
chapter. Today, it takes six chapters to include the volumes
of research that now exist on racial attitudes, stereotypes,
intergroup relations and how to reduce prejudice. Jones also
added a new chapter that examines how victims of prejudice
react to being singled out and stigmatized.
     Jones said he's looking forward to using the new
edition in his prejudice and racism classes at the
University in the fall.
     Jones will sign copies of the revised edition of
Prejudice and Racism from 12:30 to 1 p.m., Tuesday, May 20,
at the University Bookstore and at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, May
21 at Border's Books and Music, Newark.
                                           -Barbara Garrison