Sociologist to Speak at Pitt on Segregation, Poverty, And Racial Stratification in the United States

PITTSBURGH--Douglas Massey, professor of sociology at Princeton University, will deliver a Pitt Center on Race and Social Problems (CRSP) lecture from noon to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 9, in the School of Social Work Conference Center, 2017 Cathedral of Learning, 4200 Fifth Ave. The talk is free and open to the public; lunch will be provided, and registration is not required.

The title of Massey's talk is "Segregation, the Concentration of Poverty, and Racial Stratification in the United States." Massey's research focuses on the segregation of African Americans in U.S. cities. Calling it "American apartheid," Massey studies its consequences on African Americans and Latinos of African ancestry and argues that segregation is a determining factor in inner city youth underachievement. He says the ensuing concentration of poverty contributes to social disorder and violence that both undermines the life expectancy and mental and physical health of African Americans and others in racially segregated enclaves.

Massey is the author of Categorically Unequal: The American Stratification System, scheduled to be published next spring by the Russell Sage Foundation.

A faculty member in Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs since 2003, Massey was recently appointed to the Henry G. Bryant Professorship of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton, where he earned his Ph.D. degree in sociology. He is also president-elect of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.

Massey's lecture is part of the CRSP Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Fall 2006 Speaker Series. For more information, call 412-624-7382.

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