Briefly Noted 875
public. The book is well organized into five complement an undergraduate or graduate
chapters, each focusing on a different aspect class on race or film, and make good reading
of the white savior film industry. for anyone who is interested in these types of
In Chapter One, Hughey begins with a dis- films.
cussion of The Blind Side, starring Sandra
Bullock, who won an Oscar for Best Actress
for her role in the film. The film was met Mothers, Daughters, and Political Socialization:
with mixed reactions by critics and the pub- Two Generations at an American Women’s
lic. On the one hand the movie was praised College, by Krista Jenkins. Philadelphia,
as an example of people from different racial PA: Temple University Press, 2013. 163pp.
backgrounds working together and creating $28.95 paper. ISBN: 9781439909287.
something great. On the other, it was criti-
cized for being a white savior film in which In Mothers, Daughters, and Political Socializa-
the white hero swoops in to save and instill tion, Krista Jenkins delves into issues of gen-
wisdom and morals in the lesser race. der inequality, gender roles, generational
Hughey touches more on these different differences, and the women’s movement.
reactions in Chapters Three and Four. Conducting interviews with mother-
In Chapter Two, Hughey selects 50 white daughter alumnae pairs who attended Dou-
savior films, released between 1987 and glass College, the women’s college of Rutgers
2011, to examine the racial and political cli- University, 25 years apart, Jenkins explores
mate at the time the films were released, how attitudes about gender, especially within
the rewards they received, and what type the realm of politics, have evolved over
of white saviorism appears in the films. a generation.
There are seven themes of white saviorism Jenkins begins in Chapter One with the
these films fall under: ‘‘Crossing the Color women’s movement of the 1960s and
and Culture Line,’’ ‘‘His Saving Grace,’’ 1970s—the time when the mothers were
‘‘White Suffering,’’ ‘‘The Savior, the Bad attending college and the movement was in
White, and the Natives,’’ ‘‘The Color of Mer- full throttle. Protests and rallies were visible
itocracy,’’ ‘‘White Civility, Black Savagery,’’ signs of change and propelled women to
and ‘‘‘Based on a True Story’: Racialized His- challenge traditional gender roles. Today,
toriography.’’ Hughey describes each of the fight is still present but not as loud and
these themes, providing dialogue from the collective. Women are increasingly making
films. the choice to work outside the home but are
The next two chapters focus on responses doing it for individual reasons, rather than
of film critics (Chapter Three) and the com- feeling like they are part of a movement.
munity (Chapter Four). Hughey examines In Chapter Two, Jenkins discusses the dif-
reviews of white savior films in three time ferences between the mothers and daughters
periods: ‘‘The (Multi)Cultural Wars’’ (1987– in how they view the women’s movement
1992), ‘‘The White Backlash’’ (1993–1998), and feminism. When asked what they
and ‘‘The Postracial Era and the Redemption thought has brought about egalitarian
of Whiteness’’ (1999–2011). Within these change today, the daughters were more like-
time periods he identifies frames and themes ly to focus on individual efforts of women,
from reviews that appeared in newspapers. such as going to college and working outside
Chapter Four is rich with qualitative inter- the home, whereas their mothers were more
view data, including individual interviews likely to mention collective action by wom-
and focus groups varying in age and racial en, such as demonstrations.
diversity. Again, Hughey organizes his inter- Chapters Three, Four, and Five examine
view findings into themes and subthemes, the differences in how the mothers and
making the data easily accessible. daughters handle gender norms and gender
In the concluding chapter, Hughey discrimination in their personal lives, in the
emphasizes that no matter how film critics workplace, and in the political realm. Now
or the community interpret these types of that women have the opportunity to work
films, it is important to acknowledge that outside the home, it gives the illusion that
there is a pattern. This book would women ‘‘have it all,’’ when in reality women
Contemporary Sociology 43, 6
876 Briefly Noted
today are faced with more difficult decisions and examines how many of the communities
than they ever were. Women feel pressure to of sisters in Bluffton have a charism, or
stay at home and take care of their children ‘‘gift,’’ of social justice and serving people
and they feel pressure to go to work every who are marginalized. With these charisms,
day—finding that balance is stressful. Jen- the sisters provide many charitable minis-
kins also found that the daughters were tries for the community, work with com-
less likely than their mothers to say they munity leaders, and also advocate for
feel discriminated against as women, and immigrants on a national scale. These nuns
took on the difficulty of balancing work are well loved in Bluffton as their networks
and family as their own issue rather than in the community help to sustain civic life
a structural problem. Both generations and connectivity. While they play a central
admitted to not being very involved in role in Bluffton, the continuation of their leg-
politics—they felt that women’s issues acy may be threatened since fewer young
were important, but were being swept under women are joining their ranks.
the rug by most politicians. This book is suitable for wide audiences,
Jenkins concludes by discussing the over- offering an inspiring account of how a small
all consistencies and inconsistencies she city has come to embrace diversity. It
found between the two generations. She touches on many key topics in sociology,
does a wonderful job illustrating the ways including religion, community, social net-
in which the mothers and daughters today works, inequality, and civic engagement.
handle and process their experiences as For those readers not familiar with Catholi-
women. This book is appropriate for courses cism, the author provides helpful informa-
on gender, feminism, and politics. tion, history, and background in her
discussions.
Diversity and the Common Good: Civil Society,
Religion, and Catholic Sisters in a Small Town, What Is Historical Sociology?, by Richard
by Meg Wilkes Karraker. Lanham, MD: Lachmann. Malden, MA: Polity Press,
Lexington Books, 2013. 166pp. $60.00 cloth. 2013. 176pp. $19.95 paper. ISBN: 978074
ISBN: 9780739181522. 5660097.
This book concerns the role of Catholic reli- Sociology began as a means to explain major
gious women in a small, Midwestern city historical changes. While much of modern-
along the Mississippi River, called ‘‘Bluff- day sociology engages in a more presentist
ton.’’ As the Midwest has become more approach, Richard Lachmann explains that
diverse in the past decades, many cities, the historical approach to sociology retains
including Bluffton, have struggled with this focus. Historical sociology, to answer
xenophobia and racism, and this book exam- the question posed in the title, is the study
ines how Bluffton has come to embrace of changes in societies over time, the histor-
diversity. Meg Karraker discusses many rea- ical events and contingencies that allowed
sons why this city has been successful in for those changes, and the trajectories for
doing so. Bluffton’s residents have fairly further societal development that those
high levels of socioeconomic status, are changes create. Lachmann explores how
well educated, and are well-connected to the historical approach has been used to
different social institutions, whether they study seven different sociological topics—
are political, religious, or charitable. Bluffton capitalism and its development, social
also has a large Catholic population and movements and revolutions, empires, states,
many Catholic schools. Through these Cath- social stratification, gender and family, and
olic institutions, many people come into con- culture—as well as in predictive or counter-
tact with the Catholic sisters and learn factual studies.
Catholic teachings about social justice and The result is, essentially, a book-length
caring for ‘‘the other’’—often racial minori- review of literature in historical sociology,
ties and immigrants. Karraker also discusses ranging from Marx, Weber, and Durkheim
the history of religious sisters in Catholicism to Charles Tilly, Randall Collins, and George
Contemporary Sociology 43, 6
