Racism, Segregation, Acceptance: American Economics and Black Labor Studies, 1885-1965

Accepted by Review of the History of Economic thought and Methodology

78 Pages Posted: 2 Aug 2023 Last revised: 16 Oct 2024

Date Written: April 18, 2024

Abstract

This paper investigates the failure of American economists to engage positively with Black
issues and Black students until recent times. The paper traces this history, beginning with the
early American Economic Association and the overt racism to be found in the AEA Publications
series and other major economics journals up to about 1910. It is noteworthy that during this
time W. E. B. Du Bois attempted to gain acceptance within the AEA, but his efforts ultimately
failed. Following this, there was a long period of some 30 years during which economic issues
relating to the Black population were rarely considered at all by White economists. This despite
major events such as Great Migration of Blacks to Northern cities. Issues having anything to do
with race relations, including discrimination in labor markets, became seen as outside of the
proper domain of economics. These issues were, however, dealt with by Black scholars working
within Black organizations and Black colleges, mostly in sociology or history departments rather
than in economics. They created what became known as Black labour studies, but the work they
produced was largely ignored by the established economics profession. Other disciplines such as
sociology developed different trajectories. It was only in the 1940s that a few works dealing
with Black labor issues found acceptance in leading economics journals, and it was not until in
the mid 1960s, that a more substantial literature developed.

Keywords: Economics Profession, Racism, Black Labor Studies, Du Bois, Great Migration, SSRC, Discrimination, Myrdal, Becker.

JEL Classification: B10, B15, J15; J51, J61, J71, N01, N31, N32, Z13

Suggested Citation

Rutherford, Malcolm, Racism, Segregation, Acceptance: American Economics and Black Labor Studies, 1885-1965 (April 18, 2024). Accepted by Review of the History of Economic thought and Methodology, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4528215 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4528215

Malcolm Rutherford (Contact Author)

University of Victoria - Economics ( email )

Victoria V8W Y2Y, BC
Canada

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