| Abstract: | Discrepant findings have typified the research concerning the social participation of blacks in America. The bulk of the findings would seem to posit three competing theories, one emphasizing low participation levels on the part of blacks, and the later two emphasizing high levels of social participation. These theories are examined and a synthesis of the "isolation" and "compensation" models is proposed. By examining both formal and informal types of social participation on the part of blacks, it is argued that both theories are viable toward explaining variation within black participation levels in particular and toward mediating the discrepant findings as they have been previously offered in general. Some support is found for such a proposed synthesis. |
