Can We All Get Along?: Racial and Ethnic Minorities in American Politics

In a nation built by immigrants and bedeviled by the history and legacy of slavery and discrimination, issues of liberty, equality, and community continue to challenge Americans. In the sixth edition of this widely acclaimed text, Paula D. McClain and Joseph Stewart Jr. combine traditional elements of political science analysis—history, Constitutional theory, institutions, political behavior, and policy actors—with a fully updated survey of the political status of four major groups: African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and American Indians. The authors show similarities and differences in these groups' political action and experience, and point the way toward coalition, competition, and consensus building in the face of ongoing conflict. Two dilemmas shape the book: How do we as a nation reconcile a commitment to equality with persistent inequality and discrimination? And what can we do about it—from the perspective of ethnic and racial minorities as well as within the dominant culture?

The sixth edition is thoroughly updated following the 2012 presidential election and provides new coverage of President Obama's first term including discussions of judicial appointments, the Affordable Care Act, and other policy changes. With increased coverage of native Hawaiians and all new chapter openers, "Can We All Get Along?" continues to provide the most extensive comparative coverage of minority politics in the United States.

Paula D. McClain is a professor of political science and public policy and Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Education at Duke University. She is also Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in the Social Sciences at Duke University. Her articles have appeared in numerous journals, including the Journal of Politics, American Political Science Review, Urban Affairs Review, and The Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race. 

Joseph Stewart Jr. is professor of political science at Clemson University. His work has appeared in a variety of political science, education, public policy, and interdisciplinary journals. His award-winning books include Race, Class, and Education (with Ken Meier and Robert England) and The Politics of Hispanic Education (with Ken Meier).