Ethnic studies / Ethnicity Books

Book SynopsisThis is the first in a series of "Soundings" books. It brings together a collection of the best of recent work on race and identity in Soundings, and includes a new introductory essay. Themes covered include multiculturalism and segregation; young people and gun crime; British identity and melancholia; conviviality; identity and belonging; and, cosmopolitanism and institutional racism. Contributors include: Zygmunt Bauman, Farhad Dalal, Paul Gilroy, Bilkis Malek, Tariq Modood, Roshi Naidoo, Amir Saeed, George Shire, Ejos Ubiribo, Patrick Wright, and Nira Yuval-Davis.

Read more less

Table of ContentsI-IV -- General Editor's Preface -- Foreword -- Introduction -- SECTION ONE General Issues -- Fourfold Classifications of Society in the Himalayas -- Kinship and Culture in the Himalayan Region -- Cultural Implications of Tibetan History -- Homo hierarchicus Nepalensis: A Cultural Subspecies -- Hierarchy or Stratification? Two Case Studies from Nepal and East Africa -- Himalayan Research: What, Whither, and Whether -- SECTION TWO The South Asian Perspective -- Actual and Ideal Himalayas: Hindu Views of the Mountains -- Stratification and Religion in a Himalayan Society -- Changing Patterns of Multiethnic Interaction in the Western Himalayas -- An Additional Perspective on the Nepali Caste System -- Maiti-Ghar: The Dual Role of High Caste Women in Nepal -- Dhikurs: Rotating Credit Associations in Nepal -- The Role of the Priest in Sunuwar Society -- A New Rural Elite in Central Nepal -- Nepalis in Tibet -- Modernizing a Traditional Administrative System: Sikkim 1890-1973 -- Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats: A Few Themes Drawn from the Nepal Experience -- SECTION THREE The Central Asian Perspective -- The Retention of Pastoralism among the Kirghiz of the Afghan Pamirs -- Correlation of Contradictions: A Tibetan Semantic Device -- The White-Black Ones: The Sherpa View of Human Nature -- Tibetan Oracles -- Some Aspects of Pön -- Tibetan Bon Rites in China: A Case of Cultural Diffusion -- The Saintly Madman in Tibet -- Trans-Himalayan Traders in Transition -- Tibetan Communities of the High Valleys of Nepal: Life in an Exceptional Environment and Economy -- Tibetan Culture and Personality: Refugee Responses to a Culture-Bound TAT -- ?thnogenesis and Resource Competition among Tibetan Refugees in South India: A New Face to the Indo-Tibetan Interface -- The "Abominable Snowman": Himalayan Religion and Folklore from the Lepchas of Sikkim -- SECTION FOUR Perspectives Merged: The Newars -- Notes on the Origins of the Newars of the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal -- Symbolic Fields in Nepalese Religious Iconography: A Preliminary Investigation -- Intercaste Relations in a Newar Community -- The Role of the Priest in Newar Society -- Structure and Change of a Newari Festival Organization -- A Descriptive Analysis of the Content of Nepalese Buddhist P?j?s as a Medical-Cultural System with References to Tibetan Parallels -- Biographical Notes -- Index of Names -- Index of Subjects

Read more less

Book Synopsis The long-awaited, inspirational guide to life for a generation of black British women inspired to make lemonade out of lemons, and find success in every area of their lives. Trade Review‘So many young women are looking for guidance as they navigate their personal and professional lives. With Slay in Your Lane: The Black Girl's Bible, Elizabeth and Yomi offer wisdom and encouragement to a rising generation of Black female leaders, on everything from the basics of financial literacy to how to deal with micro-aggressions in the workplace. This book is a gift for anyone who wants to better understand what Black women and girls are up against—and the tremendous resources they draw upon as they make their way in the world’ Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and founder of LeanIn.Org and OptionB.Org ‘A cultural landmark… This book is as much a rallying cry to black women across the British Isles as it is a solid foundation for serious discussions about modern race relations.’ Daily Telegraph ‘A prime example of how straightforward it should be to provide representation for young black girls’ Vice 'An essential read for black women who want their experiences validated and for young British teens to see the inspirational women who have come before them' Victoria Sanusi, iNews ‘Outspoken new role models for the next generation of black women … I imagine its intended audience will devour it whole. But it deserves to be widely read’ Janice Turner, The Times ‘An inspiring read’ Pheobe Hurst, The Pool ‘An inspirational guide to life for the modern British black woman’ Elle ‘SIYL is an extremely important piece in black British sisterhood, because no one can talk to black women like black women’ Black Ballad ‘This book is such a brilliant insight into being a black woman in Britain – buy it to help the young black women in your life – and if you’re white, buy it so you know what we have to go through every day, because ignorance is a form of complicity’ Otegha Uwagba, author of Little Black Book

Read more less

Book SynopsisUnlike the popular Uncle Remus stories of Joel Chandler Harris, Charles W. Chesnutt's tales probe psychological depths in black people unheard of before in Southern regional writing. They also expose the anguish of mixed-race men and women and the consequences of racial hatred, mob violence, and moral compromise. This important collection contains all the stories in his two published volumes, The Conjure Woman and The Wife of His Youth, along with two uncollected works: the tragic Dave's Neckliss and Baxter's Procustes, Chesnutt's parting shot at prejudice.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary a

Read more less

Book SynopsisFifty years after she made history by refusing to give up her seat on a bus, Rosa Parks at last gets the major biography she deserves. The eminent historian Douglas Brinkley follows this thoughtful and devout woman from her childhood in Jim Crow Alabama through her early involvement in the NAACP to her epochal moment of courage and her afterlife as a beloved (and resented) icon of the civil rights movement. Well researched and written with sympathy and keen insight, the result is a moving, revelatory portrait of an American heroine and her tumultuous times.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn the newest volume in the award-winning Penguin History of American Life series, James R. Barrett chronicles how a new urban American identity was forged in the streets, saloons, churches, and workplaces of the American city. This process of Americanization from the bottom up was deeply shaped, Barrett argues, by the Irish. From Lower Manhattan to the South Side of Chicago to Boston's North End, newer waves of immigrants and African Americans found it nearly impossible to avoid the Irish. While historians have emphasized the role of settlement houses and other mainstream institutions in Americanizing immigrants, Barrett makes the original case that the culture absorbed by newcomers upon reaching American shores had a distinctly Hibernian cast. By 1900, there were more people of Irish descent in New York City than in Dublin; more in the United States than in all of Ireland. But in the late nineteenth century, the sources of immigration began to shift, to southern and eastern Europe aTrade Review“Richly detailed, often fascinating . . . a very absorbing work of social history.” — The Wall Street Journal"A fast-paced tour." — The Boston Globe“The Irish Way will be of high interest to anyone who cherishes the old industrial cities of America and, of course, the Irish story.” — The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette“Barrett has written an excellent, bottom-up survey of the Irish experience over the past two centuries . . . he is most successful in describing the Americanization of policemen, teachers, nuns, and even gang leaders. This is a superior ethnic study that will have value for both scholars and general readers.” — Booklist“Portraying colorful characters like New York reformer politician boss Timothy Sullivan and showing how the blending of African-American and Irish dance resulted in tap dancing, Barrett gives us an authoritative, fact-filled analysis.” — Publishers Weekly

Read more less

Book SynopsisA comprehensive, illustrated history of African Americans from 1880 to the present. From Chapter 6 of the single volume edition.Trade Review"First rate.... Readable.... Guarantee[s] the book a rating as a primary reference."--The Richmond Times-Dispatch "Kelley and Lewis have provided us with what amounts to the first new interpretation of African-American history for the twenty-first century.... They have raised the bar for the production of new work on African Americans."--Journal of Southern History "Sweeping in scope, this invaluable survey charts the transformation of Blacks from Africans into African Americans."--Emerge "Provides an intelligent introduction to the history's intricacies, divisions and accomplishments."--Publishers Weekly

Read more less

Trade ReviewCristina Beltran's powerful book, The Trouble with Unity is timely for our age of Obama in which an ugly anti-immigrant spirit looms large. Don't miss it! * Cornel West, Princeton University *In her lucid account of the complexities of identity politics, Cristina Beltran analyzes U.S. Latino efforts to forge a unified political community, persuasively arguing that unity-based politics can provide spaces for meaningful political action but too often minimizes major differences. The Trouble with Unity is an informative, balanced, and unusually thoughtful contribution. * Rogers M. Smith, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania *Many have looked at the growth of Latino political identity from a purely empirical perspective. This work, however, tries to understand how Latino-ness is performed and understood in the public sphere, the growth and nature of pan-ethnic identity, and how disparate individuals come together to see themselves as a political interest. Cristina Beltran's book is a work of theory built off of a careful historical examination of practice and is a major contribution. * Gary Segura, Professor of Political Science and Chair of Chicana/o Studies, Stanford University *This book makes an original and centrally important contribution by using categories of political theory to analyze the ways in which 'Latinos' have thought about their political identities. It will become essential reading for those interested in how political theorists can contribute to the rethinking of race and ethnicity. * Joan Tronto, Professor of Political Theory, University of Minnesota *A sophisticated analysis of social justice in the Latino community.... useful for general readership and all undergraduate work on Latino studies in the US.... Recommended. * CHOICE *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION; SLEEPING GIANTS AND DEMOGRAPHIC FLOODS: LATINOS AND THE POLITICS OF EMERGENCE; CONCLUSION; LATINO IS A VERB: DEMOCRACY, LATINIDAD, AND THE CREATION OF THE POLITICAL; NOTES; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX

Read more less

Book SynopsisIt is hard to avoid seeing ethnicity, race, or nationality wherever one looks. Differences in education, income, and health are often patterned along ethnic or racial lines. But how do we disentangle discrimmation and preferences for certain groups from the everyday working of labor markets and educational institutions or privileging family members or those with similar educational backgrounds? Drawing on a boundary-making perspective first championed by anthropologist Fredrick Barth, Andreas Wimmer introduces a new comparative theory of ethnicity. It explains precisely how and why ethnicity matters in certain societies and contexts but not in others, and why it is sometimes associated with inequality and exclusion, with political and public debate, with closely-held identity, while in other cases ethnicity, race and nationhood do not structure the allocation of resources, invite little political passion, and represent secondary aspects of individual identity. Wimmer argues that when eTrade ReviewEthnic Boundary Making has the makings of a classic. The author takes on a vast and important topic, provides a bold and ambitious theoretical agenda, and engages in theory development by convincingly confronting his hypotheses with data of various kinds. As he goes along, Wimmer explains the implications of his findings for a wide range of theories and debates in sociology and beyond, engaging with the best and the brightest in the multi-disciplinary literatures on ethno-racial divisions, immigration and citizenship, and group formation. This ambitious book will surely leave its mark and be widely debated. * Michele Lamont, author of The Dignity of Working Men: Morality and the Boundaries of Race, Class, and Immigration *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Herder's Heritage ; 2. Strategies and Means ; 3. Conflict and Consensus ; 4. Categorization struggles ; 5. Network Boundaries ; 6. Culture and Closure ; Conclusions ; Acknowledgments ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe last several decades have seen the emergence of a remarkable phenomenon: a Jewish rebirth that is occurring throughout Africa. A variety of different ethnic groups proclaim that they are returning to long-forgotten Jewish roots, and African clans trace their lineage to the Lost Tribes of Israel. Africans have encountered Jewish myths and traditions in multiple forms and various ways. The context and circumstances of these encounters have gradually led, within some African societies, to the elaboration of a new Jewish identity connected with that of the Diaspora. This book presents, one by one, the different groups of Black Jews in western, central, eastern, and southern Africa and the ways in which they have used and imagined their oral history and traditional customs to construct a distinct Jewish identity. It explores the ways in which Africans have interacted with the ancient mythological sub-strata of both western and African ideas of Judaism. It particularly seeks to identifyTrade Reviewshines a wide and revealing spotlight on these unrecognized groups and how they came to construct their Jewish identity ... Bruder's research provides a more vivid and complete picture of the practices and community life of present-day Judaizing groups in the many countries she investigates. * Journal of Religion in Africa *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION; LOST TRIBES IN TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY AFRICA; PART I: PREHISTORY; PART II: BLACK JUDAISM: GENESIS; PART III: AFRICA, JUDAISM, AND AFRICAN "JEWS"; EPILOGUE: ANCIENT MYTHS AND MODERN PHENOMENA; NOTES; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn an age where racial and ethnic identity intersect, intertwine, and interact in increasingly complex ways, Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream offers a superb and rigorous analysis of black politics and coalitions in the post-Civil Rights era. Using an original survey of a New York City labor population and multiple national data sources, author Christina M. Greer explores the political significance of ethnicity for new immigrant and native-born blacks. Black Ethnics concludes that racial and ethnic identities affect the ways in which black ethnic groups conceptualize their possibilities for advancement and placement within the American polity. The ethnic and racial dual identity for blacks leads to significant distinctions in political behavior, feelings of incorporation, and policy choices in ways not previously theorized. The steady immigration of black populations from Africa and the Caribbean over the past few decades has fundamentally changed the racial, ethnic, and political landscape in the U.S. An important question for social scientists is how these ''new'' blacks will behave politically in the US. Should we expect new black immigrants to orient themselves to politics in the same manner as native Blacks? Will the different histories of the new immigrants and native-born blacks lead to different political orientations and behavior, and perhaps to political tensions and conflict among black ethnic groups residing in America? And to what extent will this new population fracture the black coalition inside of the Democratic party? With increases in immigration of black ethnic populations in the U.S., the political, social, and economic integration processes of black immigrants does not completely echo that of native-born American blacks. The emergent complexity of black intra-racial identity and negotiations within the American polity raise new questions about black political incorporation, assimilation, acceptance, and fulfillment of the American Dream. By comparing Afro-Caribbean and African groups to native-born blacks, this book develops a more nuanced and accurate understanding of the ''new black America'' in the twenty-first century. Lastly, Black Ethnics explores how foreign-born blacks create new ways of defining and understanding black politics and coalitions in the post-Civil Rights era.Trade ReviewIf Black Ethnics had focused on only one of its two subjects - the racial and ethnic identities of foreign-born blacks in the United States, or the racial and political activities of an important public sector labor union - it would have been valuable and illuminating. Its gift to readers is attention to both of these subjects as well as the relationships connecting them. That makes it a stunning and original piece of research. We learn a great deal from Greer's empathetic and insightful study. * Jennifer Hochschild, Harvard University *Christina Greer's ambitious and persuasive book simultaneously engages scholarship in race and ethnicity, immigration, and public opinion; analyzes new data on black attitudes; and introduces a novel theory of black ethnic relations. Plus, it's a treat to read. An important and original contribution, Black Ethnics will be invaluable to scholars of Black studies, political science, sociology, and beyond. * Jane Junn, University of Southern California *This important and perceptive book is a major contribution to our understanding of the politics of black ethnic diversity. Greer skillfully mines data from a rare New York City survey as well as national polls to generate a series of nuanced political profiles of African Americans, Afro-Caribbean immigrants, and African immigrants. While revealing what is politically distinctive about each of these groups, she also identifies areas of political convergence and conflict among them. The result is an empirically rich and theoretically insightful account of the complexities of contemporary black politics and the challenges all blacks continue face in their pursuit of the American Dream. * Reuel Rogers, Northwestern University *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Introduction ; 1 A Theory of Black Elevated Minority Status ; 2 <"Where did you come from and what should I call you?>" How a NYC Labor Union Explains Changing Demographics ; 3 Political Participation and the Socialization of Blacks into Unions and the Polity ; 4 <"You Win Some, You Lose Some>": Hard Work and the Black Pursuit of the American Dream ; 5 Union Leadership and Policy Choices: Trends in Neutral and Racial Government Policies ; Conclusion ; Appendices ; Bibliography ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Allied Occupation of Japan brought an influx of African American soldiers and culture to Japan, which catalyzed the writing of black characters into postwar Japanese literature. This book considers the literature engendered by postwar Japanese authors’ robust cultural exchanges with African Americans and African American literature.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhite kids from the ’burbs are throwing up gang signs. The 2001 Grammy winner for best rap artist was as white as rice. And blond-haired sorority sisters are sporting FUBU gear. What is going on in American culture that’s giving our nation a racial-identity crisis?Following the trail blazed by Norman Mailer’s controversial essay “The White Negro,” Everything but the Burden brings together voices from music, popular culture, the literary world, and the media speaking about how from Brooklyn to the Badlands white people are co-opting black styles of music, dance, dress, and slang. In this collection, the essayists examine how whites seem to be taking on, as editor Greg Tate’s mother used to tell him, “everything but the burden”-from fetishizing black athletes to spinning the ghetto lifestyle into a glamorous commodity. Is this a way of shaking off the fear of the unknown? A flattering indicator of appreciation? Or is i

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration commissioned an oral history of the remaining former slaves. Bullwhip Days is a remarkable compendium of selections from these extraordinary interviews, providing an unflinching portrait of the world of government-sanctioned slavery of Africans in America. Here are twenty-nine full narrations, as well as nine sections of excerpts related to particular aspects of slave life, from religion to plantation life to the Reconstruction era. Skillfully edited, these chronicles bear eloquent witness to the trials of slaves in America, reveal the wide range of conditions of human bondage, and provide sobering insight into the roots of racism in today''s society.Trade ReviewPraise for Bullwhip Days“A rich source of cultural information... Eloquent and important. It stands as a group portrait of people not long dead, all brutally deprived of their freedom, some insidiously deprived of the very idea that they should be free.” —The New York Times“Remarkably articulate... vivid, moving and often beautifully cadenced.” —The New Yorker“The slave narratives are jewels.” —The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)“The voice and people in Bullwhip Days are so real that the book becomes a visual narrative. This oral history tells us as much about our past as it does our present, and I suspect readers will continue to hear the voices from these pages long after they have put the book down.” —David Lamb, author of The Africans“The slave narratives contain the heart of Afro-American culture. Whereas only one hundred or so slaves published book-length testimonies, thousands were interviewed and left oral testimonies about the black slave experience. Bullwhip Days is the most accessible and usable edition of these colorful narratives. This well-edited text is indispensable to American and Afro-American history and literature classes at all levels.” —Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA multidisciplinary collection on the regional organization and varied expressions of the Scottish Heritage movement in the Canadian Maritimes, New England, and the American South. This work is a study of ethnicity and identity, the renegotiation of history and cultural memory into heritage, and the public performance and creation of tradition.Trade ReviewTransatlantic Scots is a sophisticated theoretical treatment written in a lively and readable style.... This is a terrific collection. - Sydel Silverman, City University of New York

Read more less

Book SynopsisFocuses on the Colombian Violencia, the undeclared civil war between the Liberal and Conservative parties that raged from the late 1940s to early 1960s. It presents the information as a narrative history. There is also an array of appendices, maps, and photographs.

Read more less