Foreword

 

 

On October 28, 2006 when preparation for the republication of “Race Relations:  Elements and Social Dynamics” began, the time was appropriate for if it had been attempted in the 1990’s, much of the information on the Internet and computer technological advancements were not yet available.  Manually researching information in libraries and governmental agencies would have been laborious and overwhelming and because of this, one cannot help but be in awe of the abundance of material that Oliver Cromwell Cox read.   Further, the unavailability of the original manuscript made this project extremely difficult in many instances and in fact, if it had been attempted prior to the emergence of new technology it would have been impossible.

 

Why did Oliver devote so many years to race relations?  One of the many motivating factors was his brother’s abandonment of plans to  become a dentist.  The problem was that Reginald was refused entry to the school of his choice because of the color of his skin, and he was so discouraged that he spent the rest of his life working in a factory—a major disappointment to the entire family.  In the past, many West Indian parents encouraged their male children to become doctors and lawyers.

 

Not deterred by his brother’s misfortune, Oliver, a then British Subject, received a Bachelor of Science Degree in law from Northwestern   University in 1928, a Master’s Degree in economics in 1932, and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago in 1938.  His education, which was unsurpassed by any other Black person at that time, was  reflected in the depth and breadth of his writings―the legal, economical and sociological―and the unintentional spiritual and psychological  aspects are apparent in “Race Relations:  Elements and Social Dynamics.”  Because he grew up in Trinidad, West Indies, he had the distinct advantage of documenting race relations free from most of the racial experiences of colored United States citizens.  This objectivity and his relentless determination to present facts enhanced the credibility of his work.  Clearly, he was not concerned about hurt feelings or trodden toes─he wrote as it was, and in some instances, as it still is today.  It is obvious that his ethics did not allow picking and choosing and playing politics in such an important undertaking as recording history.

 

One may ask whether or not this final work by Oliver has purpose.  As I read the graphic and poignant description of events from slavery to the time of his death, they struck me as compelling, familiar and substantiated—inevitably “aha moments” consumed my consciousness.  When you must look up a word that you have never seen and your mind is enriched is “an aha moment.”  When thousands of slaves were freed and set upon society without assimilative support is an “aha moment.”  As you begin to see clearly the toll in human sufferings and the financial losses of both the victims of racial discrimination and the offending businesses is an “aha moment.”  Reading about an incident and recognizing similarities in your own life is indeed an “aha moment.”  When you begin to feel the pain of the victims and the sadness that it generates, and arrive at the conclusion that “Race Relations:  Elements and Social Dynamics” is a book that should be read to enlighten all peoples, and to serve as a historical record of the misery of poor race relations, is a shocking “aha moment.” 

 

There is no presumptuousness in thinking that if this book could have a profound effect on me, then the outcome would be the same for you.  However, it is emphasized that “Race Relations:  Elements and Social Dynamics” is a wonderful educational tool inside and outside academia; indeed, practicing its ethical lessons will have a positive impact on race relations particularly in businesses.

 

In spite of his outstanding qualifications and worldwide recognition of his work, he was the subject of disparaging and unjust characterizations.  Oliver, a gentle man, in an effort to defend himself stated, “They have accused the writer of ‘economic determinism,’ ‘Marxism,’⁴ or of seeking to explain race relations ‘solely,’ ‘only,’ ‘merely,’ ‘exclusively’ on the basis of ‘economics.’  After addressing themselves in this fashion to the economic aspects of race relations, these scholars usually move on to emphasize certain startling psychological or political incidents implying that these are at least as significant for an analysis of the society.”   These very comments, which were made by the then pillars of academia, eventually became the foundation for teaching sociology.  Until his death in 1974, Oliver bravely and meticulously researched and documented racial conditions with the utmost integrity thereby making them an invaluable part of American sociological history, and highly credible as past injustices continue to recur.  Proving his critics wrong and in recognition of his work on race relations, on September 29, 1971 the American Sociological Association presented him with this award: