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Reproducing Inequality in a Formally Antiracist Organization: The Case of Racialized Career Pathways in the United Methodist Church

Publication ,  Journal Article
Eagle, D; Mueller, C
Published in: American Journal of Sociology
March 1, 2022

Victor Ray argues organizations are racial structures that legitimate the unequal distribution of resources and stratify the agency of racial groups through organizational processes that treat White identity as a credential and decouple formal rules meant to reduce disparities from practice. This study demonstrates the utility of this theory in an empirical case study of disparities in earnings, job quality, and advancement among clergy in the United Methodist Church. Despite the preferences articulated by Black clergy, the formal organizational policies that ban race as a consideration in appointment making were decoupled from managerial practices; thus, clergy and congregations were matched on race. Because of local control over salaries and major resource disparities between congregations, race matching led to Black-White disparities in pay, advancement, working conditions, and professional support. The most promising remedy is a common salary scale with a more comprehensive redistribution process to address resources inequalities across congregations.

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Published In

American Journal of Sociology

DOI

ISSN

0002-9602

Publication Date

March 1, 2022

Volume

127

Issue

5

Start / End Page

1507 / 1550

Related Subject Headings

  • Sociology
  • 1608 Sociology
 

Citation

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ICMJE
MLA
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Eagle, D., & Mueller, C. (2022). Reproducing Inequality in a Formally Antiracist Organization: The Case of Racialized Career Pathways in the United Methodist Church. American Journal of Sociology, 127(5), 1507–1550. https://doi.org/10.1086/719391
Eagle, D., and C. Mueller. “Reproducing Inequality in a Formally Antiracist Organization: The Case of Racialized Career Pathways in the United Methodist Church.” American Journal of Sociology 127, no. 5 (March 1, 2022): 1507–50. https://doi.org/10.1086/719391.
Eagle, D., and C. Mueller. “Reproducing Inequality in a Formally Antiracist Organization: The Case of Racialized Career Pathways in the United Methodist Church.” American Journal of Sociology, vol. 127, no. 5, Mar. 2022, pp. 1507–50. Scopus, doi:10.1086/719391.
Journal cover image

Published In

American Journal of Sociology

DOI

ISSN

0002-9602

Publication Date

March 1, 2022

Volume

127

Issue

5

Start / End Page

1507 / 1550

Related Subject Headings

  • Sociology
  • 1608 Sociology