A Response to Critics of The Truly Disadvantaged

Authors

William Julius Wilson, University of Chicago

Abstract

I appreciate the thoughtful comments by the authors of those papers that focused on my book, even though I disagree with many of the arguments. I was especially pleased with Edna Bonacich's accurate interpretation of my arguments in the first several pages of her article. And I was impressed with Andrew Billingsley's comprehensive discussion of what he takes to be the "three distinct, yet overlapping phases or central themes in" my work. I wish I were able on this occasion to discuss this broader coverage of my scholarship, but for sake of brevity, I shall only focus on the criticisms of The Truly Disadvantaged. My response will not include an attempt to "answer" each of the critical comments seriatim, rather it will focus on those points that allow me to highlight and clarify the most important arguments in the book. In the process I hope to correct several of the more serious misinterpretations and distortions of my thesis.

Recommended Citation

Wilson, William Julius (1989) "A Response to Critics of The Truly Disadvantaged," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 16: Iss. 4, Article 11.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.1923
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol16/iss4/11