Summary Of American Babylon By Historian Robert Self

In his book titled American Babylon: Race and Struggle for Postwar Oakland, Historian Robert Self places the actions of two groups together in Post-World War II, Oakland, California: a movement centered on black power that stressed community defense and empowerment in ending Jim Crow laws, which notably included the group known as the Black Panthers, and another movement that was primarily white property owners intent on creating a secure economic environment. Both of these two groups, with their own political agendas, argues Self, were instrumental in the development and growth of the political culture not just in the postwar suburbs of Oakland, but in the entire state of California. Charting the rise of these two groups as well as how their

And this is a prominent strength of the book. Self’s access and utilization of multiple kinds of sourcing allows for the story to be told effortlessly and cogently. The writing style of the author also allows for the book to be so successful. The book in itself is a massive text that goes into great detail and makes excellent arguing points for why the stories of white consumer culture and African-American activism should be intertwined. However, the book cannot accomplish everything and suffers to a degree because of this. Where the book shows room for improvement can be found in its treatment of the Black Panthers. While the argument is successfully made that the Black Panthers were not the only African-American activist group prominent in the area, the attention to their cause almost seems lackluster. While the group is mentioned periodically throughout the book, proper dedication and analysis of the group itself does not come until the very last section of the book. This is probably due to the organizational style of the author, but because the author is arguing that Oakland is the birthplace of both the Black Panthers and Proposition 13, more consideration should be placed on the Black