Beyond PC: Toward a Politics of Understanding

Essays address the nature and impact of multiculturalism on our society and its relationship to "political correctness"

This excellent contribution to the highly charged debate over multiculturalism collects a wide-ranging set of essays and articles, presenting views from right, left and center. The first section of the book gives the conservative critique. It opens with the National Association of Scholars' manifesto, which in many ways threw down the gauntlet in this debate by challenging affirmative action as well as campus speech codes. An excerpt from Dinesh D'Souza's bestselling Illiberal Education follows. Those defending multicultural education are given a forum next. John Wiener's investigation into D'Souza's dubious reporting techniques in his account of Harvard is a strong contribution here, as is Ruth Perry's history of the term "political correctness." Among those looking for ways to move beyond the strong rhetoric of the issue, Reed Way Dasenbrook and Todd Gitlin seek a deeper analysis of how culture is constructed and what constitutes a true multiculturalism. The willingness of Aufderheide, an editor at In These Times , to convey without overt prejudice such a wide range of perspectives makes this volume a valuable contribution to a topic cluttered with erroneous and reactionary diatribes.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Political correctness (PC) is an attitude toward multiculturalism in America expressed in words, actions, and the humanities courses offered at postsecondary level. This book offers a collection of essays by faculty and students, a short history of the National Association for Scholars (NAS), and case histories of events at six universities. Insights are offered: "To be a liberal arts student . . . today is . . . to be at the center of a raging national debate and to be completely on the sidelines watching others far from campus describe you and use you for their own ends." While this compilation is not as inclusive as Debating P.C.: The Controversy Over Political Correctness on College Campuses ( LJ 2/1/92), it is suitable for academic libraries.
- Lois F. Roets, Drake Univ., Des Moines
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.