William R. Beer

Relative Strangers: Studies of Stepfamily Processes.

Relative Strangers studies the stepfamily as a social system in its own right, and examines the processes at work in this system. A sociological study of the stepfamily, this book will appeal to social workers, counsellors, family therapists, sociologists, teachers and educated readers interested in the American family.

Sociology and the effects of affirmative action: A case of neglect

A literature review reveals that sociology has largely neglected to study the social effects of affirmative action, even though the policy’s assumptions and concepts are sociological. Non-sociological treatments of the policy’s consequences are examined and found wanting: polemics, legal commentaries, philosophical commentaries, economic analyses, psychological studies and organizational analyses. Sociological treatments—including opinion surveys and studies of overall societal effects—are examined and found to be mostly outdated and meager. Ten specific avenues of future research are described whereby our profession can fill this gap in our knowledge.

Invisible Victims: White Males and the Crisis of Affirmative Action.

Introduction: Social Policy by Steamroller Affirmative Action: Legal History and Public Opinion An Affirmative Action Sampler Invisible Victims: Individual Reactions Invisible Victims: Reactions of Co-Wrokers, Friends, and Relatives Invisible Victims: Institutional Responses Affirmative Action and the Mass Media The Spiral of Silence and the New McCarthyism Affirmative Action, the University, and Sociology Elite Recommendation and the Flaws of Affirmative Action Manifest Consequences of Affirmative Action Restructuring Society by Race and Gender: Latent Functions of Affirmative Action Appendixes Index