Inequality & Violence in the United States

While mass shootings make headlines, the more routine effects of corporate and government decisions on our well-being are downplayed. This book analyzes how economic and political inequalities lead to forms of violence that routinely cause harm.

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The second edition of Inequality and Violence in the United States: Casualties of Capitalism (2004) won the Best Book of the Year award from the Marxist Section of the American Sociological Association. In this edition, Barbara H. Chasin updates and expands the previous material, adding and reflecting on the relevance of the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid crisis, access to firearms, and white supremacist movements. Written in a readable, accessible style, this book is a thoroughly documented account of the pertinence of connecting economic and political inequalities to dangers people face. The book emphasizes the importance of recognizing both structural and organizational violence, as well as discussing forms of interpersonal violence. Chasin analyzes relationships between social class, race/ethnicity, gender, and the three forms of violence.