“A unique book on affirmative action, one that sees this polarizing topic through the lens of deliberative democratic theory, as an opportunity for civic dialogue among those with divergent opinions that can strengthen democracy. Moses draws on a fascinating study of community discussions that she and her colleagues initiated in the run-up to a statewide referendum on affirmative action, integrating her findings with philosophical analysis of both affirmative action and democratic theory. The result is exemplary scholarship, a fusion of the empirical and the theoretical that is the hallmark of the best work in contemporary philosophy of education.”

Lawrence Blum, University of Massachusetts Boston

“A highly readable yet deeply analytical account of the nation’s inability to resolve its persistent disagreement about affirmative action. Moses’s analysis shines important new light on broad and deep divisions over the meaning and relative value of equality and individual rights in social policy. Locating recent litigation and ballot initiatives about diversity in higher education in theories of justice and democracy, she unearths fundamental moral disagreements that lie below the intense volume of the nation’s debates about pervasive racial injustice. She offers a compelling argument that democratic deliberation and dialogue can help us build bridges to productive ways of living with these fundamental differences and arrive at new agreements that support our diverse democracy.”

Jeannie Oakes, University of California, Los Angeles