The Power of Good Deeds - by Diana Kendall (Paperback)

About the Book

The Power of Good Deeds allows us to see behind the media image of upper-class women and to observe how these women use their social power not only to benefit other, less-fortunate people, but also to benefit themselves and their families. The personal narratives of elite wome...

Book Synopsis

The Power of Good Deeds allows us to see behind the media image of upper-class women and to observe how these women use their social power not only to benefit other, less-fortunate people, but also to benefit themselves and their families. The personal narratives of elite women as they describe their views on philanthropy, the need for exclusivity in their by-invitation-only volunteer organizations (such as the Junior League and The Links), their childhood experiences and college years in prestigious schools and sororities, and the debutante presentations and other upper-class rituals in which they participate are drawn from Kendall's ethnographic research. Participating in meetings and social functions with elite women in several Texas cities, along with conducting systematic interviews, the author gained unprecedented access to elite women across racial and ethnic categories. The Power of Good Deeds provides new insights and greater depth to our knowledge about the upper classes and how the charitable activities of privileged women contribute to the process of legitimation, maintaining an ideology of class-based and race-based segregation in the United States.

Review Quotes

This study extends scholarship on elites in two important ways: first, by shedding light on the upper class of Texas, rarely the geographic site of scholarship on elites, and second, by incorporating in her sample elite women of color. The intersection of race and social class in elite philanthropic organizations is a poignant and critical feature of this book, and the contradictions are striking.

The Power of Good Deeds adds to the understanding of the lives of the upper classes. It is enjoyable reading and would be valuable for students of stratification, elites, or volunteer organizations in general.

An intimate participant-observation study of upper-class women in all of their many public roles, complete with revealing interviews. The Power of Good Deeds, a fascinating and powerful book, is sociology at its finest, using good ideas from many different sources and the best methods available to illuminate an important dimension of the class structure that is seldom addressed.

Sociologist Diana Kendall's unprecedented 'insider' view substantially advances and expands our understanding of today's elite women, including African American and Latina as well as white Anglo women. While not ignoring the contributions of their philanthropic work to the public good, Kendall emphasizes the ways in which the women's everyday activities socially reproduce class and race divisions and inequalities, and shows how elite circles benefit the most from their own philanthropic activities. This revealing and engaging work counters still-echoing claims that class no longer matters in American life.

About the Author

Diana Kendall is associate professor of sociology at Baylor University. She is the author of several widely used textbooks, including Sociology in Our Times and Social Problems in a Diverse Society.