American ethnic status rankings were unchanged despite the civil rights era.

Evidence

Using national probability samples, Smith tabulated the perceived social standing of a long array of American ethnic groups, once in 1964 and again a quarter of a century later in 1989. What makes this particular period of American history so interesting is that it embraces the era when the modern civil rights movement was at its height and America embarked on its most intense and ambitious efforts to eliminate racism and actualize the promise of American “democracy.” Close inspection of these data discloses a very high degree of hierarchical stability. While the social status ranking of a number of ethnic groups increased during this period (e.g., Negroes: 2.75 in 1964 to 4.17 in 1989), the relative ethnic group rankings and thereby the hierarchical structure within this arbitrary-set system remained essentially unchanged. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3180

Categorization

• QUESTION: What accounts for the apparent paradox that absolute status improved while relative rank did not shift?
• SEED: Possible article: ‘Why Civil Rights Failed to Rearrange Hierarchies’ — absolute gains with unchanged relative structure, what this implies for other redistribution efforts.