Multiculturalism from the Margins: Non-Dominant Voices on Difference and Diversity

(Hardback)

Available Formats

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

So-called multiculturalists have been recently targeted by journalists and scholars arguing that such apologists are the cause of contemporary cultural fragmentation, racism, neo-segregation, lowered standards, and a radicalism that ignores the wishes of mainstream America. This book is an introduction to some of the ideas underlying the claims multiculturalists make for diversity, inclusion, and complexity, and is one of the first rejoinders minorities have presented to combat the onslaught. Spanning the philosophical spectrum from difference to competent intercultural communication, each essay represents the precipitate produced from the writer's engagement with students, scholars, the public-at-large, and marginalized peoples. The reader will not find in these pages a call for chaos, civil war, or racism. None of what is here espoused can responsibly be characterized as unpatriotic or misanthropic. Radical Yes. Subversive Yes. But also expansive, sympathetic, challenging, and galvanizing. This book is not for the faint of heart. Readers looking for a demanding analysis that will provide guidance on adjudicating the claims of multiculturalists and monoculturalists will find it in this book.

Reviews

"[This] is a superb compilation of essays that cover a good number of the persistent problems confronting people of color in North America. More than a simple listing of issues, the authors consistently strive for both a conceptual understanding of the complexity of multicultural relations and offer concrete solutions for the critical problems confronting American society into the 21st century. [It] boasts superb writing, professional editing, and cogent analyses that are informative for academic and lay audiences alike. Most impressive about this book is the collection of authors, each eminent in their respective field, and each making an original contribution to an area of inquiry that has been notably lacking in cogent and coherent discourse. An important feature of the book is its emphasis on the important political and policy questions that confront multicultural societies."-Halford H. Fairchild, former national president of The Association of Black Psychologists

Author Bio

DEAN A. HARRIS is publisher of Bifocal Publications, a producer of anthologies focusing on contemporary issues. In addition, he is director of the Civic Dialogue Project, a civic education organization which publishes the e-letter Left Out.