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Race Scholars Weigh Job Woes —Their Own

Obama win could make field inconsequential, or more vital than ever

By Dustin Lushing,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 14, 2008 12:14 PM CDT

(Newser) – Barack Obama's historic run for the White House is dividing scholars of race in America, writes Jonathan Tilove, who covers race for Newhouse News Service. Some see a black president as an antidote to racism, but others view a potential Obama presidency as an empty symbol with few practical implications. "He's not going to change my syllabus," one academic says bluntly.

One scholar says Obama's influence may be more productive than John McCain's in the short run, but he will eventually prove more detrimental for moving "the boundary of acceptable discourse on race and class well to the right." Another academic argues that Obama "does not represent the triumph of an advancing anti-racist movement" but is "abandoning old agendas, largely by not mentioning them."

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., waves to people as he leaves Punahou School after playing basketball in Honolulu, Hawaii, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008.
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., waves to people as he leaves Punahou School after playing basketball in Honolulu, Hawaii, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
In this 2006 file photo, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and rapper Ludacris leave the senator's Chicago offices after a meeting.
In this 2006 file photo, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and rapper Ludacris leave the senator's Chicago offices after a meeting.   (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Sen. Barack Obama sits on Kailua Beach in Kailua, Hawaii, with his daughter Sasha, 7.
Sen. Barack Obama sits on Kailua Beach in Kailua, Hawaii, with his daughter Sasha, 7.   (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
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"A More Perfect Union" Part 1 of 5 (HI RES):Barack Obama speaks in Philadelphia, PA at Constitution Center.   (BarackObamadotcom)

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