Competitive Ethnic Relations

Most studies of racial and ethnic relations discuss the position in a single country. Professor Banton's book is notable for its internationalism. It formulates principles that govern the development of relations between racial and ethnic groups everywhere, drawing upon case studies from across the globe. The arguments which organize this mass of evidence are taken from a rational choice theory of behaviour, combining elements from modern economics with older sociological interpretations. According to this theory, much turns on whether people, as they seek their economic and social goals, choose to compete as groups or individuals, for group competition reinforces any boundaries that are marked by physical difference, whereas individual competition dissolves them. Many of the concepts that have been used in racial and ethnic studies reflect the values of the more articulate groups in given societies at particular times.

Annotation The collected writings of a leading authority on Canada's ethnic and linguistic diversity.

This book tests a new approach to understanding ethnic mobilization and considers the interplay of global forces, national-level variation in inequality and repression, and political mobilization of ethnicity. It advances the claim that economic and political integration among the world's states increases the influence of ethnic identity in political movements. Drawing on a 100-country dataset analyzing ethnic events and rebellions from 1965 to 1998, Olzak shows that to the degree in which a country participates in international social movement organizations, ethnic identities in that country become more salient. International organizations spread principles of human rights, anti-discrimination, sovereignty, and self-determination. At the local level, poverty and restrictions on political rights then channel group demands into ethnic mobilization. This study will be of great importance to scholars and policy makers seeking new and powerful explanations for understanding why some conflicts turn violent while others do not.

This study of ethnic violence in the United States from 1877 to 1914 reveals that not all ethnic groups were equally likely to be victims of violence; the author seeks the reasons for this historical record. This analysis of the causes of urban racial and ethnic strife in large American cities at the turn of the century should comprise important empirical and theoretical reference material for social scientists and historians alike.

Since the 1993 publication of the third edition of the Dictionary of Race and Ethnic Relations, events have continued to change the way in which race and ethnicity are viewed. The trial of O. J. Simpson; the publication of The Bell Curve; and the continuing attacks on Affirmative Action have all affected the ways in which race and the surrounding issues of racism and identity have been reported in the media and studied in the classroom. The Dictionary of Race and Ethnic Relations covers a range of national and international topics which have been written by a distinguished group of experts on race and ethnicity. The reader will find new articles covering recent events, historical and theoretical perspectives and important figures. Over half of the book has been revised or rewritten and all of the articles include fully-updated lists of further reading.