Diversity in America

The fourth edition of Diversity in Americaoffers both a sociohistorical viewpoint and a sociological analysis to provide insights into US diversity. The author squarely addresses the topics generating so much invective, passion, and raucous debate in American society today: Do we have too much immigration? Is multiculturalism a threat? Are we no longer sufficiently American? How do terrorist threats and illegal immigration affect Americans' receptivity to the constant stream of newcomers? What kind of people are we becoming? The book answers these questions by using history and sociology to shed light on socially constructed myths about our past, misunderstandings about our present, and anxieties about our future. Putting into perspective the fact that diversity is not a recent social phenomenon, the author takes the reader through different American eras, beginning with the indigenous populations and continuing through colonial times, the early national period, the age of expansion, the industrial age, the information age, and today. Intergenerational comparisons, examination of the pros and cons of multiculturalism, and extrapolation of present trends into future probabilities offer the reader a holistic analytic commentary to provide additional helpful insights and understanding.