A collection of essays examining a pragmatic approach to racism.How should pragmatists respond to and contribute to the resolution of one of America's greatest and most enduring problems? Given that the most important thinkers of the pragmatist movement-Charles S. Peirce, William James, John Dewey, and George Herbert Mead-said little about the problem of race, how does their distinctly American way of thinking confront the hardship and brutality that characterizes the experience of many African Americans in this country? In twelve thoughtful and provocative essays, contemporary American pragmatists connect ideas with action and theory with practice to come to terms with this seemingly intractable problem. Exploring themes such as racism and social change, the value of the concept of race, the role of education in ameliorating racism, and the place of democracy in dealing with the tragedy of race, the voices gathered in this volume consider how pragmatism can focus new attention on the problem of race.Contributors are Michael Eldridge, Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., Judith M. Green, D. Micah Hester, Donald F. Koch, Bill E. Lawson, David E. McClean, Gregory F. Pappas, Scott L. Pratt, Alfred E. Prettyman, John R. Shook, Paul C. Taylor, and Cornel West.

Preliminary Table of Contents:PrefaceIntroduction Donald F. Koch and Bill E. LawsonPart I. Pragmatism as a General Approach to the Problem of Race1. Dewey on Race and Social Change Michael Eldridge2. Distance, Abstraction, and the Role of the Philosopher in the Pragmatic Approach to Racism Gregory Fernando Pappas3. "Discovering a Problem": A Pragmatic Instrumentalist Approach to Educational Segregation Donald F. Koch4. Dewey's Vision of Equal Opportunity for Education in a Democracy John R. Shook5. Situating the Self: Grounding an Ethics of Culture and Race D. Micah Hester6. Tragedy and Moral Experience: John Dewey and Toni Morrison's Beloved Eddie S. Glaude, Jr.Part II. Pragmatism and Means7. Booker T. Washington: A Pragmatist at Work Bill E. Lawson8. Pragmatism and Race Paul C. Taylor9. Should We Conserve the Notion of Race? David E. McClean10. Civil Smother: Folkways of Renewed Racism in the United States Alfred E. Prettyman11. Race, Education, and Democracy Scott L. Pratt12. Building a Cosmopolitan World Community through Mutual Hospitality Judith M. GreenAfterword Cornel WestContributorsIndex