"Can We All Get Along?": Racial and Ethnic Minorities in American Politics [Paperback]

Paula D. McClain (Author), Joseph Stewart Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 11, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0813398479 | ISBN-13: 978-0813398471 | Edition: 3rd

Rodney King framed an eternal question of American politics when he asked: “Can we all get along?” In a nation built by immigrants and bedeviled by the history and legacy of slavery, issues of liberty, equality, and community continue to challenge Americans. In this third edition of the widely acclaimed text, Paula McClain and Joseph Stewart combine traditional elements of political science analysis-history, Constitutional theory, institutions, political behavior, and policy actors-with a thoroughgoing survey of the political status of four major groups: African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and American Indians. They show similarities and differences in these groups’ political action and experience, and point the way toward coalition, competition, and consensus building in the face of ongoing conflict. Two dilemmas shape the book: How do we as a nation reconcile a commitment to equality with persistent inequality and discrimination? And what can we do about it-from the perspective of ethnic and racial minorities as well as within the dominant culture? Thoroughly updated following the 2000 national elections and early 2000 Census data, this third edition provides a concise overview of minority politics in America.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This latest edition of ‘Can We All Get Along?’, arriving as it does in the recent wake of the paradigm shifting election of President Obama, gives students and instructors alike the updated comparative data and nuanced interpretation they need to understand the magnitude of racial and ethnic politics in the U.S.”
—David E. Wilkins, University of Minnesota

“In the wake of an historic election, students will be searching for ways to understand the significance of race and ethnicity in American politics. This book offers a comprehensive and comparative approach to this important topic. It provides crucial historical context, vital contemporary data, and a survey of the most up-to-date theory in the field. For these reasons, I rely upon ‘Can We All Get Along?’ as the backbone of my Race and American Politics course.”
—Regina Freer, Occidental College

“‘Can We All Get Along?’ explains why Barack Obama’s 2008 election to the presidency has not made Rodney King’s plaintive cry in 1992 irrelevant any more than it has eliminated race and ethnicity as factors integral to American politics, and the new 5th edition enables our comprehension of those facts to be as contemporary as today’s headlines. Students in a basic American government course will learn from this versatile, accessible book that ethnicity/race is not merely a theme casually imposed on American politics; those in a minority politics class will be treated to a unique comparative examination of American politics from the divergent perspectives of principal American ethnic/racial minority groups. McClain and Stewart continue their tradition of clear and analytical writing that is also interesting. An exceptionally useful text!”
—Jim Sheffield, University of Oklahoma

“This book is a unique resource for helping students to understand the interplay between diverse populations and the American political system. The latest edition provides a rich introduction to the histories, theoretical concepts, and key terms associated with U.S. racial and ethnic politics. Students will also appreciate the authors’ attention to recent statistics and the dynamics of the 2008 Presidential race.”
—Janelle S. Wong, University of Southern California

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Paula D. McClain is professor of political science; and professor of law, public policy, and African and African American Studies at Duke University. She also directs the American Political Science Association’s Ralph Bunche Summer Institute hosted by Duke University, and funded by the National Science Foundation and Duke University. A Howard University Ph.D., her primary research interests are in racial minority group politics, particularly inter-minority political and social competition, and urban politics, especially public policy and urban crime. Her articles have appeared in numerous journals, including the Journal of Politics, American Political Science Review, Urban Affairs Review, and American Politics Quarterly. Westview Press has published the fourth edition of her book “Can We All Get Along?" Racial and Ethnic Minorities in American Politics, co-authored with Joseph Stewart, Jr. (2005). She is a past vice president of the American Political Science Association, a past president of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists, served as Program Co-Chair for the 1993 annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, served as Program Chair for the 1999 annual meeting of Midwest Political Science Association, served as Vice President of the Midwest Political Science Association, recently served as Vice President and 2002 Program Chair of the Southern Political Science Association, and recently completed her term as a Vice President and Program Co-Chair of the 2003 International Political Science Association World Congress which was held in Durban, South Africa in the summer of 2003. She is currently president of the Southern Political Science Association. Joseph Stewart, Jr. (Ph.D., University of Houston, 1977) is Chair of the Political Science Department at Clemson University. His research interests span civil rights policies, racial and ethnic politics, public policy, and educational policy, with occasional other miscellaneous topics. His work has appeared in a variety of political science, education, public policy, public administration, public law, and interdisciplinary journals. His books include Race, Class, and Educa­tion (with Kenneth J. Meier and Robert E. England, 1989), The Politics of Hispanic Education (with Kenneth J. Meier, 1991), and "Can We All Get Along?" Racial and Ethnic Minorities in American Politics (with Paula D. McClain, Westview, 4th ed., forthcoming), each of which has received a Gustavus Myers Award as an “Outstanding Book on the Subject of Human Rights in the United States.” In addition, he is the co-author of Public Policy: An Evolution­ary Approach (with James P. Lester, West, 2nd ed., 2000), which was published in a Chinese edition in 2001. Stewart currently serves on the Editorial Boards of American Review of Politics, the National Political Science Review and the University Press of Vir­ginia’s "Race, Ethnicity and ­Poli­tics" Se­ries. He is currently Co-Editor of Rowman & Littlefield’s “Spectrum” Series. He is currently (2005-2006) President of the Southwestern Social Science Association and serves on the Executive Council of the Southern Political Science Association.In addition to the book awards noted earlier, Stewart has been honored with the Herbert Kauf­man Award (with Kenneth J. Meier) by the American Political Science Association’s Section on Public Administration for the best paper presented at the 1991 conference and an AP® Special Recognition Award by the College Board Southwestern Regional Office in 2000.Despite all of this professional activity, Stewart is probably best known for his alleged sense of humor, which has been manifest in an article in which the discipline of political science is pre­sented as a “rotisserie” game (with Kenneth J. Meier, 1992, "Rotisserie Political Science," PS: Politi­cal Science & Politics, 25, 565-568), a convention paper “analyzing” the work of “Texas’ fastest rising Jewish country music star” and current candidate for governor of Texas, Kinky Friedman, and appearances on round­tables and panels at professional meetings, such as "The Contributions of Elvis Presley to the Study of Political Science," “Country Music and Political Science,” and “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Political Science.”

Product Details

• Paperback: 186 pages
• Publisher: Westview Press; 3rd edition (October 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813398479
• ISBN-13: 978-0813398471
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,330,199 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Horrible!!!, October 26, 2010

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G. Quintanilla (Chicago, Il) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: "Can We All Get Along?": Racial and Ethnic Minorities in American Politics (Dilemmas in American Politics) (Paperback)

Terribly written! I read the entire book even though our professor only required us to read the first three chapters. He stated, "I never would have required this book for this class but I was not involved in the writing of the syllabus." I should have followed his instructions because I wasted an entire day reading this book.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quality book and vendor, September 27, 2010

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I received the book ahead of the projected time frame and it was in excellent condition. Very happy with the item and vendor.

1 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good quality, decent delivery, April 5, 2006

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This review is from: Can We All Get Along?: Racial and Ethnic Minorities in American Politics (Dilemmas in American Politics) (Paperback)

I planned ahead and got the book just about on time. You need to make sure you oder your books altleast a week or week and ahalf before the class starts if you want it for the first day.