American Mixed Race: The Culture of Microdiversity [Paperback]

Naomi Zack (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0847680134 | ISBN-13: 978-0847680139 | Publication Date: March 21, 1995

This exciting multidisciplinary collection brings together twenty-two original essays by scholars on the cutting edge of racial theory, who address both the American concept of race and the specific problems experienced by those who do not fit neatly into the boxes society requires them to check.

Editorial Reviews

Review

It may be the most important work yet in a movement that could change all our racial discourse in the classrooms, on suburban streets and in the alleys of our cities, in our political debates, and in our innermost understanding of who we are. (Jorge Garcia )

A thought-provoking collection that addresses the concerns of a growing social movement. (Ethics )

These essays provide interesting and evocative interpretations and analyses of the history of American understandings of race. (Humanity And Society )

A valuable aid for anyone doing serious research on the meanings of race in the American context, and . . . a valuable educational resource for students of the subject as well. (Gordon, Lewis R. )

About the Author

Naomi Zack is assistant professor of philosophy at the State University of New York, Albany.

Product Details

• Paperback: 406 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (March 21, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847680134
• ISBN-13: 978-0847680139
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,923,367 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compensating for Disingenuousness, October 29, 2009

By 

Kermit (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Mixed Race: The Culture of Microdiversity (Paperback)

Straight to the point, I have not read this book.

The real point of this review is to boost the overall score and compensate for the vacuousness of other reviewers, who shoot the book down from a racist point of view. Such reviews are politically motivated and disingenuous. So while I admit that my review is disingenuous as well - for my not reading the book - I am attempting to prevent people from turning away from reading it simply because it has a low rating.

1 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Academic Ostrich Fogs Equine Cadaver, October 19, 2004

By 

H. Montgomery "lordcalvin" (edinburgh Scotland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Mixed Race: The Culture of Microdiversity (Paperback)

These essays are presented in support of Zack's contention that race does not exist.

Zack believes that, because more genetic difference occurs within racial groups than between groups, that differences between individuals are far more meaningful than differences between races.

Imagine that marbles came in two colours of bag, red bags and blue bags. Each bag contained marbles in many different colours. Imagine that some colours of marble were more highly prized than others, with green marbles being the most highly prized of all.
Only the blue bags contain green marbles.
Irrespective of how different blue marble bags were from each other in chromatic composition generally, there would still be a consistant specific and important difference (at least to marble dealers) between blue marble bags and red marble bags.

General variables do not obviate specific differences. However entertaining the essays Zack presents may be, they are presented in support of a theory which she chooses to base on a logic fallacy.

Most of the heritable differences betwen human beings are irrelevant. It does not matter much whether someone can roll their tongue or whether their belly-button goes in or goes out. The important differences between human groups are differences in temperament and cognative function. Race is real.