Redefining Equality

The idea of equality is central to American civic life and one of thefoundations of our national identity. It is also a rather elusive notion, andperhaps has always been so. Charges of unequal treatment continue to be voicednationwide, in both the public discourse and the courts. There is no consensuson the meaning of equality, and competing views on what it consists of haveerupted into a cultural conflict that looms large in contemporary Americanpolitics.LAs a collection of insightful perspectives on this fundamental conceptbehind all issues of civil rights, Redefining Equality presents essays bydistinguished scholars in law, history, and social science. These papers addressspecific cases as found in headlines and abstract arguments as found in legaltexts, looking closely at everything from school busing programs and affirmativeaction to the role of the courts and the politics of equality. Various examplesand definitions of equality, culled from America's past and present, aresummarized and examined in ways that illustrate how and why equality issuesdirectly affect men and women of all races and backgrounds.LThis book, abalanced array of assessments regarding our nations historical and contemporarythoughts on equality, will prove most informative to students of law, politicalscience, and recent American history.

Neal Devins is a Professor of Law and a Lecturer in Government at the College of William and Mary School of Law. He is the author, most recently, of Shaping Constitutional Values (1996).
Davison M. Douglas, also a Professor of Law at the College of William and Mary Law School, is the author of Reading, Writing, and Race (1995).