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Even the Rat Was White: A Historical View of Psychology (Allyn & Bacon Classics Edition) (2nd Edition) (Allyn and Bacon Classics Edition) | 
 enlarge | Author: Robert V. Guthrie
Publisher: Allyn & Bacon
Category: Book
List Price: $49.80
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Rating:  71 reviews
Sales Rank: 20477
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.6
ISBN: 0205392644
Dewey Decimal Number: 150.8996073
EAN: 9780205392643
ASIN: 0205392644
Publication Date: April 7, 2003
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Product Description
Even The Rat Was White views history from all perspectives in the quest for historical accuracy. Histories and other background materials are presented in detail concerning early African-American psychologists and their scientific contributions, as well as their problems, views, and concerns of the field of social psychology. Archival documents that are not often found in mainstream resources are uncovered through the use of journals and magazines, such as the Journal of Black Psychology, the Journal of Negro Education, and Crisis. The historical role of African-Americans in psychology. History of Psychology, Psychology of Prejudice.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 66 more reviews...
Even the Rat Was white A historical View of Psychology - Synopsis May 21, 2008
Even the rat Was White is a overly interesting and revealing book. The author Robert V. Guthrie touches on one of the most hidden issues in today's society: racism. Reading this work we can clearly understand where we get our contemporary ideas of racial differences from. No other book that I have ever reed have touch racism and discrimination as cut and dry as this one does. It was really amazing to learn about how racial differences were assessed prior our times, the biased theories that supported it was only the white man that could have intelligence and that beside the white man all other races where significantly inferior. We also can have a realist side to the story because the author himself was an African American. The author then describes all the hazel that American Black psychologist had to go through to first eve have the right to study at a University and even more problematic to be able to be recognize as professional that had valuable contributions to make to the field of Psychology. Towards the end of the book we can say that it wants to change that negative perspective of the dark beginnings of psychology and its linkage to racism and discrimination -the author talk about a series of psychologist who them where fully recognize. This book is an amazing work not only for psychology or those interested of knowing about history of a certain field of education-this book awakes your senses and makes you reevaluate you core values and analyze the facts that are given in the book for what they are. Psychology have been granted with a realistic, research based, revealing and unforgettable work with the publication of this book. This is a book that not only those in field of psychology should read -everyone who wants to give a second though to their schemas about other people, races or costumes most read
Even the Rat Was White May 21, 2008
By elucidating psychology's biased and myopic efforts to subjugate a portion of society, Guthrie focused attention on bad science. When science works, it allows the testability of an experimental hypothesis and the retention or rejection of the null hypothesis. What Guthrie found was science with an axe to grind and a Eurocentric mindset. Testing instruments designed and administered by elite white psychologists presented just what was intended; Afro-Americans were inferior. Because intelligence was considered a heritable trait, no amount of education could improve these defective individuals. The most compelling aspect of his book is its exploration of unabashed institutionalized racism. Guthrie, a victim of this system described in detail how he and others struggled out of the quagmire and helped others do the same.
The book, divided into three sections, examined how psychology exacerbated racial differences, how psychology and white psychologists perpetuated suspect research, and how if we are not vigilant the past will be repeated. I recommend this book to anyone in the sciences, the humanities, and particularly psychology.
 Even The Rat Was White May 20, 2008
Synopsis of Even the Rat Was White
Whitney Casada
In "Even the Rat Was White" author Robert V. Guthrie does an explicit job describing the history of many African Americans. The book analyzes racial prejudices and the resulting psychological hardships that African Americans have endured. This book puts in perspective to readers the prejudices that African Americans faced in the past. This knowledge brings an even greater respect for influential African Americans who have made tremendous achievements, even in the face of these prejudices.
The opening of the book is designed to describe the history and scientific view of African Americans. Skin color was measured in order to define characteristics of an individual. While most standards failed, test such as the tintometer, color top, and color blocks were used to measure difference is skin color. Hair texture measurements were another variable in scientific discussion. Classifications comparing Caucasian and African American hair were measured on scales from straight to wavy. The main point is to describe the differences between races and allows the reader to get a better idea of how racial differences began through analyzing testing data.
Racial classifications continue in the discussion of skull capacities. The general idea was that whites were more intelligent than blacks due to having a small skull capacity and a smaller brain. African Americans were viewed as slower in comparison to whites. Guthrie does an excellent job of engaging the reader to the viewpoint that racism ran deeper than just prejudices against skin color alone. Several tests emerged which attempted to validate the idea that African Americans were of lesser quality than Caucasians.
Guthrie then explains that scientists wanted to know on a scale just how significant the differences were between races. Mental tests including the Binet- Simon and IQ test were developed and intelligence was defined to better understand behavior and learning. The reader has to keep in mind that intelligence is measured on scales set by white children/ adults. The testing went so far as to grouping individuals based solely on skin pigmentation to analyze intelligence and the effect of white blood. African Americans were given test in the army as an experiment to measure intelligence.
The idea of scientific racism also included the influence of heredity. It was believed that certain genes should not be mixed, and that some individuals should not reproduce. A cash bonus was given to African Americans whose IQ fell below 100 if they would voluntarily submit to be sterilized. Also those in prison were subject to being sterilized because of the hereditarian point of view.
Guthrie does an excellent job in Part II to describe the lives of slaves. Education was rarely achieved by most African Americans during the times of slavery. Slaves were nothing but objects to be used at their master desire. But, in the 1940's African American colleges emerged in the southern states. However, many teachers were often beaten for teaching in black colleges. The employment opportunities are described and many struggled to get a job in the psychology field.
The book describes employment in African American colleges as being difficult because of low salaries. A meeting was held by Herman Canady to discuss their hardships and to try and come up with a solution. At this point, very few African American had earned a PhD simply because they were not allowed.
African American psychologists such as Sumner then emerged and finally achieved their dream of earning a PhD. This was a breaking point for African Americans because the public view started to slowly shift from the main point at the beginning of the book.
Guthrie's historical view shows the many racial stereotypes that have been held against African Americans in the past. The book describes the beginning views of racism, African American psychologists, and the contributions they made despite difficult times. This book does a great job of demonstrating the plethora of hardships that African Americans have had to face over the past and puts in perspective how far we have came as a society in alleviating these issues.
Even the Rat Was White: A Brief Review May 20, 2008
Even the Rat was White: A Historical View of Psychology, 2nd Ed., by Robert Guthrie, presents a unique perspective of the role of African Americans in psychology that has been historically overlooked. The book provides an elaborate picture of the cultural context within which various atrocities occurred, and how the zeitgeist of the times allowed the prevailing racists views to remain relatively unchallenged.
In the first part of the book, Guthrie highlights many of the stereotypes that existed for African Americans and how they were used to perpetuate false ideas and prejudiced research in psychology. White psychologists justified their racist claims by touting their use of "precise measurement techniques" such as those used to determine the exact degree of "blackness" in a person's skin. The second part of the book discusses the many influential African American psychologists that have made critical contributions to the field of psychology that have been largely ignored in traditional texts and compiled histories of the discipline. Guthrie emphasizes with heartbreaking clarity the many obstacles that these figures had to overcome in order to received recognition and validation for their work. In the final part of the book, the author offers conclusions and stresses that the quest for racial equality in psychology is an ongoing endeavor whose proponents must continue to work for its achievement, despite the seeming insurmountability of the task.
As a student of psychology and a believer in the equal treatment of all people, I believe that this book is laudable in its blatant honesty about the racism that is inherent in this discipline even to this day, and despite the many accomplishments made, how much work is still left to be done. Guthrie should receive commendation for his role in educating readers and inspiring change.
Even the Rat Was White May 20, 2008
Even the Rat Was White, by Robert Guthrie, offers a historical perspective of psychology that is often over looked. Guthrie, a well-respected American Psychologist, traces the origins of racial discrimination throughout the history of psychology in his exact and often witty rhetoric. Guthrie begins his text with the history and evolution of the concept of race and how it affected early psychology and anthropology. The second portion of Guthrie's book provides a more personal look at the struggles faced by those trying to break through the racial boundaries within psychology.
The perspective Guthrie offers in Even the Rat Was White is critical to the history of psychology. All too often throughout the history of many academic disciplines the story of minorities has been over looked, without such histories academia can never hope to preserve an accurate account of its history. Guthrie has successfully captured a piece of history that is necessary to the accurate portrayal of the history of psychology in America.
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