Michael Banton: Academic Contribution, Career, Books, Some Recent Articles, Reviews, and a List of Books by Author Michael Banton

Search - List of Books by Michael Banton

Michael Banton (born 1926) is a British social scientist known primarily for his publications on racial and ethnic relations.

Academic Contribution more less

After graduating from the London School of Economics in 1950, Banton conducted research on the settlement of New Commonwealth immigrants in the East End of London for which he received the degree of PhD from the University of Edinburgh. He subsequently wrote books about the settlement of rural immigrants in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and on the behaviour of the white British towards New Commonwealth immigrants. His book The Policeman in the Community, a comparative study of policing in Scotland and the USA, was the first book-length sociological study of the police.

Banton became best known for his book Race Relations (1967), which summarised contemporary social science knowledge of that field. This phase of his writing concluded with a volume, The Idea of Race, in which he introduced into the English language the concept of racialization as a process by which the idea of race as a physical category was socially utilized to organise perceptions of the populations of the world. Up to this point his work reflected sociological orthodoxy.

Starting in 1976, Banton’s criticisms of that orthodoxy strengthened. In Racial and Ethnic Competition (1983) he advanced a rational choice theory. The book ended with a discussion of what constituted `good’ racial relations; it concluded that good racial relations would be ethnic relations. He has been critical of accounts of majority-minority relations in Europe that interpret them in the light of conceptions conventional in the USA.

Recalling Max Weber’s statement that he became a sociologist `in order to put an end to the mischievous enterprise which still operates with collectivist concepts’ Banton has observed that `ethnic group’ is a collectivist concept. There are ethnic categories and those who are assigned to an ethnic category may come to form a group, but do necessarily do so. From this starting point he has developed a theory of social categories.

Whereas Banton has been much concerned with the improvement of concepts and theories in this field, he has also written on measures for the reduction of racial discrimination. He served as an elected member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination from 1986 to 2001 and as its chairman for 1996-98.

Career more less

Books more less

Some Recent Articles more less

Reviews more less

Total Books: 32

Anthropological Approaches to the Study of Religion [Routledge Library Editions: Anthropology and Ethnography] (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9780415330213
ISBN-10: 0415330211
Genre: Politics & Social Sciences

Combating Racial Discrimination the Un and Its Member States [Minority Rights Group Report S.] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781897693681
ISBN-10: 1897693680

Dictionary of Race and Ethnic Relations (Hardcover) → Paperback, Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780415151672
ISBN-10: 0415151678
Genres: Reference, Nonfiction

Discrimination [Concepts in the Social Sciences] (Paperback) → Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780335191918
ISBN-10: 0335191916
Genre: Nonfiction

Ethnic and Racial Consciousness (Other)
ISBN-13: 9780582299115
ISBN-10: 058229911X

Ethnic Hatred Genocide in Rwanda (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781900092005
ISBN-10: 190009200X

Idea of Race (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9780422761703
ISBN-10: 0422761702

International Action Against Racial Discrimination (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9780198280613
ISBN-10: 0198280610
Genre: Nonfiction

The International Politics of Race (Hardcover) → Paperback
ISBN-13: 9780745630489
ISBN-10: 0745630480

The Policeman in the Community (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9780422711906
ISBN-10: 042271190X

Promoting Racial Harmony (Hardcover) → Paperback
ISBN-13: 9780521300827
ISBN-10: 0521300827

Race Concept (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9780715368985
ISBN-10: 0715368982
Genre: Science & Math

Race Relations (Paperback) → Paperback, Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780422722803
ISBN-10: 0422722804

Racial and Ethnic Competition [Comparative Ethnic and Race Relations] (Hardcover) → Paperback
ISBN-13: 9780521254632
ISBN-10: 0521254639

Racial Consciousness (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9780582023840
ISBN-10: 058202384X
Genre: Nonfiction

Racial Minorities (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9780006330479
ISBN-10: 0006330479

Racial Theories (Hardcover) → Paperback, Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780521334563
ISBN-10: 052133456X
Genre: Nonfiction

Rational Choice Theory of Racial and Ethnic Relations (Paperback)

Roles an Introduction to the Study of Social Relations (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9780422714907
ISBN-10: 0422714909

Roles Introduction to the Study of Social Relations [Social Science Paperbacks] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9780422721202
ISBN-10: 0422721204
Genre: Nonfiction

Science Law and Politics in the Study of Racial Relations (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9780900632372
ISBN-10: 0900632372

Social Anthropology of Complex Societies [A.S.A. Monographs] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9780422725200
ISBN-10: 042272520X

West African City a Study of Tribal Life in Freetown [International African Institute] (Hardcover)

In Racial Theories Michael Banton presents a broad historical and typological overview of academic theories of race (he doesn't cover popular conceptions). He also touches on topics such as ethnicity and discrimination, and suggests his own ideas. The overall result is perhaps a little unfocused: the typological classification scheme seems artificial in places and some odd topics receive detailed attention (presumably reflecting Banton's own special interests). But anyone interested in the subject will find plenty in Racial Theories.