Beyond Pluralism The Conception of Groups and Group Identities in America

      Pluralist or multiculturalist, proudly ethnic or disappearing into the
        melting pot, people come in all persuasions. This volume attempts to bridge
        the gap that has developed between pluralists and multiculturalists, advocates
        of the academic canon and defenders of diversity, celebrants of ethnic
        heritage and critics of racial ascription. Contributors explore the nation's
        pluralistic framework as a historical creation, looking at group relations
        in the United States and how they have been conceptualized in the past.
 

"The essays here work well together, and the quiet arguments among some of them here liven up an already interesting volume, one that presents an informative and interesting view of American group life. Those who want to better understand multicultural debates in the United States would do well to read this book." -- Jeff Spinner-Halev, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development "This is definitely a book for our times. Its critical stand is refreshing, the scholarship sound, and the balance between history and current affairs judicious." -- Olivier Zunz, author of Making America Corporate: 1872-1920