With new tables, figures, glossary terms, and updated political cartoons, maps, and illustrations, Schaefer (DePaul U.) continues to pursue issues involved in understanding race and ethnicity, ethnic and religious sources of conflict, the major groups in the US, and patterns of dominance over women and social minorities. Chapters include first-person views, demographic maps, review and critical thinking questions, and Internet exercises. The CD-ROM offers study guide and communication modules via a companion website. The first edition was written 25 years ago. Dates are not given for the other editions. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Race and ethnicity remain firmly a part of the national agenda. Twenty-five years ago, when the first edition of this book was being written, it was noted that race is not a static phenomenon and that, while always a part of the social reality, specific aspects change. At that time the presence of a new immigrant group, the Vietnamese, was duly noted, and the efforts to define affirmative action were described. Today we seek to describe the growing presence of El Salvadorans and Haitians and the attempts to dismantle affirmative action.
Specific issues may change over time, but they continue to play out against a backdrop of discrimination that is rooted in the social structure and changing population composition as influenced by immigration patterns and reproduction patterns. One unanticipated change is that the breakup of the Soviet Union and further disinterest of the major industrial powers in the political and social events in Africa, Latin America, and much of Asia has made ethnic, language, and religious divisions even more the source of antagonism between and within nations. The old ideological debates about communism and capitalism have been replaced by emotional divisions over religious dogma and cultural traditions.
We continue to be reminded about the importance of the social construction of many aspects of racial and ethnic relations. What constitutes a race in terms of identity? What meaning does race and ethnicity have amidst the growing number of interracial marriages and marriages across cultural boundaries? Beyond the spectrum of race and ethnicity, we see the socially constructed meaning attached to all religions as members debate who is the "true" keeper of the faith. As we consider matters of gender, we see again that differences are largely the result of social constructions. And finally as we consider all groups that have been subjected to discrimination, such as the disabled, the elderly, and gays and lesbians, we see, in a similar manner, the power of labeling. The very issue of national identity is also a part of the agenda. The public and politicians alike question, "How many immigrants can we accept?" and "How much should be done to make up for past discrimination?" We are also witnessing the emergence of race, ethnicity, and national identity as global issues.
Changes in the Census 2000 Update Edition
This eighth edition includes the extraordinary amount of data from Census 2000. We pride ourselves on providing the most current information possible to document the patterns in intergroup relations both in the United States and abroad.
Relevant scholarly findings in a variety of disciplines 'including economics, anthropology, and communication sciences have been incorporated since the seventh edition. The feature "Listen to Their Voices" appears in every chapter. These selections include excerpts from the writings or speeches of noted members of racial and ethnic groups such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosario Ferre, Elie Wiesel, Patricia J. Williams, and Nelson Mandela. Their writings will help students appreciate both the emotional and the intellectual energies felt by subordinate groups.
The Census 2000 Update edition includes the following additions and changes:
The 2000 Census and other recent data from government sources are included throughout this edition. There are 4 new figures and 3 tables. These include Figure 1.1 that presents the multiple race choice data new to this census. Elsewhere in Chapter 1 are analyses of the Census 2000 residential data showing segregation levels. New maps show where African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans reside. In addition 11 figures and 11 tables have been revised to reflect Census 2000 data.
An Internet Exercise is included at the end of every chapter to offer a way to continue learning via the Web.
The Intergroup Relations Continuum presented in Chapter 1 has been reintroduced in later chapters to provide a connection between the coverage of specific groups and the introductory material (Chapters 1, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, and 15).
An expansion of the discussion on racial identity to include biracial children and the debate over the "race question" to be included in Census 2000 (Chapter 1).
The world systems theory of Immanuel Wallerstein is outlined in Chapter 1 as it applies to race and ethnicity and later reintroduced in Chapters 10 and 15.
A look back after five years at the continuing legacy of The Bell Curve by Charles Murray and Richard Herrenstein (Chapter 1).
The definition of hate crimes and increasing efforts to tabulate their occurrence in the United States (Chapter 2).
The role of race in everyday behavior is considered in a new "Listen to Their Voices" entitled "Just Walk On By" by Staples (Chapter 3).
Sociologist William Julius Wilson offers his insight in a new "Listen to Their Voices" entitled "When Work Disappears" (Chapter 3).
Description of environmental justice as another, but often overlooked, form of discrimination (Chapter 3).
A new "Listen to Their Voices" entitled "Roots" by Raffi Ishkanian (Chapter 4).
A case study of the Amish is used to introduce the impact that laws and court decisions can have on a religious ,group (Chapter 5).
"Whiteness" as reflected in the growing consideration of white studies in academe is introduced to students in the context of ethnicity (Chapter 5).
A new "Listen to Their Voices" entitled "When the Boats Arrived" by Diane Glancy (Chapter 5).
Casino gambling receives special attention as a section within the consideration of economic development and tribal people in the United States (Chapter 6).
A controversy straight out of the sports pages is addressed by Tim Giago in a new "Listen to Their Voices" entitled "Honor Another Race of People as Mascots" (Chapter 6).
A new "Listen to Their Voices" entitled "Of Race and Risk" by Patricia J. Williams (Chapter 8).
A new "Listen to Their Voices" entitled "Language Is a Bridge to Culture" by Adela de la Torre (Chapter 9).
A section on Elian Gonzalez and Cuban refugees (Chapter 9).
A new "Listen to Their Voices" entitled "Puerto Rico, U.S.A." by Rosario Ferre (Chapter 10).
Reorganization of chapters gives a clearer representation of the unique experiences of Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans as well as Chinese Americans and Japanese Americans (Chapters 10 and 12).
A new "Listen to Their Voices" entitled "Ire Search of Bruce Lee's Grave" by Shanlon Wu (Chapter 11).
A new "Listen to Their Voices" entitled "I Was a Member of Kung Fu Crew" by Henry Han Xi Lau (Chapter 12).
The expansion of background information on the Holocaust by Pulitzer prizewinner Elie Wiesel (Chapter 13).
Arlie Russell Hochschild perceptively looks at work and the family in a new "Listen to Their Voices" entitled "Time. for Change" (Chapter 14).
Inclusion of a comparison statistical table to assist in understanding the different nations under study in the cross-cultural comparison (Chapter 15).
The 1998 Northern Ireland Accord is considered in light of the history of the long-standing Protestant-Roman Catholic conflict (Chapter 15).
A new "Listen to Their Voices" entitled "Is the Disability Law Creating a Handicap?" by Kathi Wolfe (Chapter 16).
The inclusion at the end of chapters of both Review Questions and Critical Thinking Questions (all chapters).
Inclusion as an endpaper, a figure dramatizing the changing racial and ethnic composition of the United States (inside front cover).
Expansion of Internet Resource Directory (preceding the Glossary).
Compared to the seventh edition there are a total of 17 new tables and 41 new figures, and nine glossary terms have been added. In addition, photographs, maps, and political cartoons have been updated.
Complete Coverage in Four Parts
Any constructive discussion of racial and ethnic minorities must do more than merely describe events. Part One, "Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Groups," includes the relevant theories and operational definitions that ground the study of race and ethnic relations in the social sciences. We specifically present the functionalist, conflict, and labeling theories of sociology in their relation to the study of race and ethnicity. We show the relationship between subordinate groups and the study of stratification. They will also be introduced to the dual labor market theory and the irregular economy from economics and reference group theory from psychology. The extensive treatment of prejudice and discrimination covers anti-White prejudice as well as the more familiar topic of bigotry aimed at subordinate groups. Discrimination is analyzed from an economic perspective, including the latest efforts to document discrimination in environmental issues such as location of toxic waste facilities and the move to dismantle affirmative action.
In Part Two, "Ethnic and Religious Sources of Conflict," we examine some often-ignored sources of intergroup conflict in the United States: White ethnic groups and religious minorities. Diversity in the United States is readily apparent when we look at the ethnic and religious groups that have resulted from waves of immigration. Refugees, now primarily from Haiti and Central America, also continue to raise major issues.
Any student needs to be familiar with the past to understand present forms of discrimination and subordination. Part Three, "Major Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups in the United States," brings into sharper focus the history and contemporary status of Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Jews in the United States. Social institutions such as family, education, politics, health care, religion, and the economy receive special attention for the subordinate groups. The author contends that institutional discrimination, rather than individual action, is the source of conflict between the subordinate and dominant elements in the United States.
Part Four; "Other Patterns of Dominance," includes topics related to American racial and ethnic relations. The author recognizes, as have Gunnar Myrdal and Helen Mayer Hacker before, that relations between women and men resemble those between Blacks and Whites. Therefore, in this book, we consider the position of women as a subordinate group. Since the first edition of Racial and Ethnic Groups, published over twenty years ago, debates over equal rights and abortion have shown no sign of resolution. For women of color, we document the double jeopardy suffered because of subordinate status twice over: race and gender.
Perhaps we can best comprehend intergroup conflict in the United States by comparing it to the ethnic hostilities in other nations. The similarities and differences between the United States and other societies treated in this book are striking. Again, as in the seventh edition, we examine the tensions in Canada, Israel, Mexico, Northern Ireland, and South Africa to document further the diversity of intergroup conflict.
The final chapter highlights other groups that have been the subject of exclusion—the aged, people with disabilities, and gay men and lesbians. This chapter also includes a concluding section that ties together thematically the forces of dominance-subordination that have been the subject of this book.
Features to Aid Students
Several features are included in the text to facilitate student learning. A "Chapter Outline" appears at the beginning of each chapter and is followed by "Highlights," a short section alerting students to important issues and topics to be addressed. To help students review, each chapter ends with a summary "Conclusion." A bibliography, "For Further Information," provides references for additional research. The "Key Terms" are highlighted in bold when they are first introduced in the text and are listed with page numbers at the conclusion of each chapter. Periodically throughout the book the Intergroup Relations Continuum first presented in Chapter 1 is repeated to reinforce major concepts while addressing the unique social circumstances of individual racial and ethnic groups. In addition there is an end-of-book "Glossary" with full definitions referenced to chapter numbers. In this edition there are both "Review Questions" and "Critical Thinking Questions." The "Review Questions" are intended to remind the reader of Viajor points while the "Critical Thinking Questions" encourage students to think more deeply about some of the major issues raised in the chapter. A new section includes an Internet Exercise that allows students to do some critical thinking via the Web. As a part of each chapter there is a section "For Further Information" that highlights recent books and presents a list of relevant journals. An "Internet Resource Directory" has been expanded to allow access to the latest electronic sources. An extensive illustration program, which includes maps and political cartoons, expands the text discussion and provokes thought.
Ancillary Materials
The ancillary materials that accompany this textbook have been carefully created to enhance the topics being discussed. We again offer a Student Study Guide to accompany Racial and Ethnic Groups. Written by Noel Barker at DePaul University, it includes learning objectives, exercises keyed to the learning objectives, suggestions for additional research, and practice tests. For the instructor, an Instructor's Manual and Test Bank, written by Jody Anderson Wetzler at Minnesota State University, Mankato, includes chapter overviews, key term identification exercises, discussion questions, topics for class discussion, audiovisual resources, and test questions in both multiple-choice and essay format. The test bank portion of the manual is available in the computerized Prentice Hall Custom Test, which allows you to create your own personalized exams. It is available in both Windows and Macintosh formats.
In tandem with the text, students and professors can now take full advantage of the World Wide Web to enrich their study of racial and ethnic groups. The Schaefer Companion Website™ correlates the text with related material available on the Internet. Features of the Website include chapter objectives and study questions, as well as links to interesting material and information from other sites on the Web that can reinforce and enhance the content of each chapter. You can reach the site at http://www.prenhall.com/schaefer
Sociology on the Internet: A Prentice Hall Guide, 1999-2000 introduces students to the origin and innovations behind the Internet and provides clear strategies for navigating the complexity of the Internet and World Wide Web. Exercises within and at the end of the chapters allow students to practice searching for the myriad resources available to the student of sociology. This 96-page supplementary book is free to students when shrinkwrapped as a package with Racial and Ethnic Groups.
Changes in race and ethnic relations will continue because these relations are a part of our constantly changing behavior. Racial and Ethnic Groups gives the reader a firm knowledge of the past and the present, as well as a sufficient conceptual understanding to prepare for the future.
