From Different Shores: Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity in America [Paperback]

Ronald Takaki (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 17, 1994 | ISBN-10: 0195083687 | ISBN-13: 978-0195083682 | Edition: 2

Now featuring a new section on public policy, and a wide range of new essays by many of the liveliest and most exciting figures in ethnic studies, this updated edition of a remarkably successful text introduces students to the diverse points of view on race and ethnicity in the U.S. Arranged in debate format, the essays address vital questions: How have the experiences of racial minorities in the United States been similar to and different from each other? Is "race" the same as "ethnicity"? How has culture shaped race and ethnic relations? What has been the relationship between race and class? How can race and gender be compared? Moreover, how can racial inequality be explained, and what public policies or strategies are needed to address it? One third of the selections are new, examining affirmative action, welfare dependency, and the Los Angeles riots, and including a debate between Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., and the editor on multicultural curricula and the campus "culture wars." Providing a fresh new look at America's complex and unique ethnic heritage, this text makes an invaluable contribution to any course on race, ethnicity, or social stratification.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A nice collection of essays that offers a wide variety of interesting perspectives on racial and ethnic issues and problems in American society....Sections 5 and 6 are new in this edition of the book, and each provides relevant and necessary insights on the effect of race and ethnicity on American life....An important, effective, and comprehensive reader on race and ethnicity. It provides a set of relatively brief introductory works on historical and contemporary issues and detailed scholarly debate and discussion....[S]uited best for use in advanced undergraduate or graduate courses." --Jean Harold Shin, Indiana University, in Teaching Sociology

"Clear, accessible, well researched, inclusive, comprehensive, and passionate. Excellent!"--Iaher Wahab, Lewis and Clark College

"An excellent selection of critical articles that presents a sound historical basis for understanding the current struggles of communities of color."--N. Valdez, Colorado State University

"A must for the social sciences. It offers a critical world view of how America was/is structured. His issues-oriented technique enhances the study of history."--S. Malone-Hawkins, California State University

"A collection of essays both interesting and challenging, this text covers a broad range of people and experiences which help clarify the roles of race and ethnicity in the development of the United States. Old and new interpretations give a well-rounded view of issues."--S. Carol Berg, College of St. Benedict

"Offers excellent up-to-date discussions of the most central issues in current U.S. social politics regarding race and ethnicity."--Jan Lin, Amherst College

"A valuable and diverse compilation of some of the finest authors of race, culture, and ethnicity in America. An excellent introductory text for students of multiculturalism. Important for the questions it raises."--Refugio I. Rochin, University of California, Davis

"Insightful essays, focussing on salient contemporary issues in racial-ethnic relations. A valuable supplement to any standard text."--Richard Robbins, University of Massachusetts, Boston

"An excellent reader which presents American social evolution from a perspective denied far too many 1tudents."--Peter Aschoff, University of Mississippi

"An impressive collection of essays. It is wide-ranging and yet penetrates certain issues in ways that can only serve well the course that has some ambitions toward cultural critique."--Nelson Hathcock, St. Xavier University

About the Author

Ronald Takaki, Professor of Ethnic Studies, University of California, Berkeley.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 2 edition (March 17, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195083687
• ISBN-13: 978-0195083682
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,682,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My grandfather emigrated from Japan to work on the cane fields of Hawaii in 1886, and my mother was born on the Hawi Plantation. As a teenager growing up on Oahu, I was not academically inclined but was actually a surfer. During my senior year, I took a religion course taught by Dr. Shunji Nishi, a Japanese American with a Ph.D. I remember going home and asking my mother, who only had an eighth-grade education: "Mom, what's a Ph.D.?" She answered: "I don't know but he must be very smart." Dr. Nishi became a role model for me, and he arranged for me to attend the College of Wooster. There my fellow white students asked me questions like: "How long have you been in this county? Where did you learn to speak English?" They did not see me as a fellow American. I did not look white or European in ancestry. As a scholar, I have been seeking to write a more inclusive and hence more accurate history of Americans, Chicanos, Native Americans as well as certain European immigrant groups like the Irish and Jews. My scholarship seeks not to separate our diverse groups but to show how our experiences were different but they were not disparate. Multicultural history, as I write and present it, leads not to what Schlesinger calls the "disuniting of America" but rather to the re-uniting of America.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Philosophy broken down..., July 29, 2007

By 

Bryan Robertson "sfguybryan" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From Different Shores: Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity in America (Paperback)

I dreaded having to take philosophy in college but the Takaki reader made it clear and simple. I passed the course and read some great stories while learning about philosophy at the same time. I would strongly recommend this reader for the philosophy student.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ETHICS REQUIREMENT, March 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: From Different Shores: Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity in America (Paperback)

This book edited by Mr. Takaki is a collection of essays that deals with multiple topics of Americans and their origins. Topics are discussed from a different point of views. They deal with cultures, race, caste, class and public policy among many other ideological perceptions of America. It has many interesting points about gender, women and their situation during the time of Industrial Revolution and not only. In many way, it makes me feel that "'the melting pot" represents the social behavior of mankind, and its situation, past and present in a way ( not much has changed in some places). Very interesting point is that many cultures (Mexican or Native) have been sullied, ridiculed and denigrated by the ideology of America. This book shows the real picture what has happening and how differently is seen by so many people. It is really good source of information about so many things.