Conservatism made impressive gains in the United States during the 1980s, including the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George Bush, the rise of Protestant fundamentalism, and challenges to multiculturalism and feminism in academe. The decade also saw the rise to prominence of several black intellectuals who questioned liberal orthodoxy on such matters as racial preferences and affirmative action. One of the most articulate of such figures was Shelby Steele, a professor of English at San Jose State University in California.
Steele was born in Chicago and earned a doctorate in English from the University of Utah in 1974. During the late 1980s, however, he became known for his skillfully written articles on race in such periodicals as Harper's, Commentary, The American Scholar, and The New York Times Magazine. In these articles, and in many interviews, he dealt with such issues as black self-reliance,.....
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