A masterful account of world racial politics and the future of global race relations by a leading American sociologist.

The World Is a Ghetto compares post-World War II racial dynamics in four countries or regions: the United States, South Africa, Brazil, and the European Union. Howard Winant argues that race remains crucial both for contemporary politics and for concepts of identity and culture. By investigating how economic development, labor processes, the ideals of democracy and popular sovereignty, patterns of social stratification, and even concepts of social and individual identity have been affected by the role race has played in the modern global democracy, Winant provides a new critique of racial exclusion and inequality.

An invaluable tool for understanding the role of race in contemporary global politics, The World Is a Ghetto provides a sobering history of the real successes of movements for racial justice and democracy both in the U.S. and globally.