Cultural Processes of Inequality: A Sociological Perspective
About the Book
Cultural Processes of Inequality: A Sociological Perspective shows how inequality is produced and reproduced through mundane, routine actions based on taken-for-granted assumptions about who should be treated well and who ‘deserves’ to be treated poorly. Members of socially valued groups (such as white people and men) tend to receive the benefit of the doubt both personally and institutionally, while members of socially devalued groups tend to be denied the benefit of the doubt in both kinds of contexts. This straightforward way of thinking about value and devaluation, privilege and discrimination, works across multiple forms of inequality and at social levels ranging from interpersonal interactions to large-scale institutions, while showcasing the importance of different levels and types of social power (decision-making, cultural and individual). Moral exclusion and inclusion, moral alchemy, false equivalencies, self-fulfilling prophecies, positive and negative visibility and invisibility and the linking of social groups to definitions of social problems are among the processes discussed. Contemporary U.S. examples show how these often-underutilized sociological concepts make sense of specific kinds of inequality. The book includes concrete suggestions for social change, an appendix introducing sociology and discussion questions for students. The paperback edition features a new afterword applying these concepts to the US in 2025.
What People Are Saying
“Cultural Process of Inequality is a must-read for those who are working to make ours a more just and equitable world. Not only does Udis-Kessler explain how inequality works in clear and everyday language, she also provides us with discussion guides, a how-to manual for reducing inequality and, perhaps most importantly, a message of hope.”
— Dr. C.J. Pascoe
“In a wonderfully accessible, down-to-earth style, Udis-Kessler deftly reveals the everyday cultural processes that produce and reproduce anti-Black racism, sexism, and heterosexism. This important book not only uncovers the multiple ways that our actions and institutions contribute to inequality but also challenges us to envision more equitable choices.”
— Dr. Wayne Brekhus
“…essential reading for anyone concerned with the social patterns that lead to human and ecological devaluation…”
— Dr. Warren Blumenfeld
“…one of the clearest explanations of the mechanisms of social and economic inequality I've ever read, crammed with real-life examples that make the ideas easy to grasp. It exposes the crossroads where often-invisible systemic processes intersect with individual experiences, exactly where understanding of these issues is so often lost. For non-sociologists like me who want to know why inequality is so persistent and so damaging, and what we can do about it, this book offers an essential foundation for our thinking. I love that the last chapter offers steps toward a society where all of us can live with the dignity and care each of us deserves.”
— Elise Moser, culture worker and community organizer
“A timely, provocative, and student-friendly analysis of the disturbing processes by which some people are perceived and treated as mattering less than others. Grounded in data and anecdotes, this insightful commentary reveals much about our unhealthy social conditions…”
— Dr. William Marsiglio
“This is a great manuscript that students will find compelling and interesting to read…This book should find its way into every university library.”
— Dr. Kirk Johnson
Purchase
Order Cultural Processes of Inequality now! The paperback edition includes a new Afterword describing how these processes are playing out in the US in 2025.