Marginalized in the Middle

Addressing volatile social issues such as gender, pornography, race, welfare, immigration, and schooling, Alan Wolfe examines the ills of American society in the 1990s. He shows that it is possible to be critical and fair at the same time, and concludes that social criticism does not lie within the boundaries of either left-wing or right-wing ideas, but rather is connected to a broad understanding of liberalism. This immensely readable book illustrates the power of social criticism to enlarge discussion of issues at the heart of democracy today.

"In applying a realist approach to controversies over immigration, pornography, race relations, and the apparent communications gap between the genders, Wolfe seeks to demonstrate the advantages of combining the insights of criticism and the tools of social science."—Library Journal

"A plea for a return to liberal thinking, an insistence on the value of 'social criticism beyond politics.' "—Washington Post Book World

"[Wolfe] surveys contemporary public discourse on racial and sexual relations, welfare policy, immigration, pornography, education and cultural politics . . . he manages to bring some fresh thinking to most of these stale debates."—T. J. Jackson Lears, New York Times Book Review

In an election year when every candidate ran as a centrist, Alan Wolfe nevertheless manages to feel alone in the vital center. This is because the middle he stakes out is not a policy to please all but a realist perspective for analysis of social problems that goes beyond rhetorical posturing. Unconcerned with opinions and positions, Wolfe wants to deal in evidence and the hard ground of facts. He brings this distaste for polemic to some of the most pressing areas of social debate, including welfare, politics and culture, race relations, and immigration. His strong perspective produces genuinely fresh takes on these tired topics. Marginalized in the Middle also proves interesting as a historical view of social science. Invigorated with the spirit of American pragmatism and infused with faith in the powers of social analysis, Wolfe writes in a style that may not persist in this postmodern age when analysis is more often a means of self-reflection than a tool employed by social critics.

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