Description
Book SynopsisEthnic Realignments offers a fresh look at the phenomenon of rapidly changing ethnic identity claims. By focusing on the countries of Australia, China, Malaysia, and India, Matthew Hoddie provides a comparative study arguing that government policies designed to favor one ethnic group over another can influence individuals among the disfavored group to change their ''identities'' and recast themselves as members of the favored group. Hoddie employs a statistical methodology to lay out the conditions and factors that lead to these ethnic identity changes, thereby contributing to the ongoing debate concerning the malleability of ethnic identity. Ethnic Realignments is a significant work for scholars interested in the politics of ethnicity and the effectiveness of affirmative action policies.
Trade ReviewThis book provides an interesting, and in many ways original, approach to the understanding of ethnic identity formation. The author argues that ethnic identity is malleable, and in detailed and carefully documented case studies of four countries he shows how groups and individuals adjust their identities in response to political opportunities and pressures and policy incentives and constraints. Analyzing the tensions between assimilation and identity maintenance, and discussing how his findings relate to, and challenge, instrumentalist, constructivist, and other explanations, the author makes an important contribution to theorizing about ethnicity. -- William Safran, University of Colorado, Boulder
Ethnic Realignments is a short book that clearly articulates its main argument....this is a clear and well-written addition to the debate. * Political Studies Review *
This book is an important addition to our knowledge on the contextual natureof ethnicity. Through a careful examination of census data, Matthew Hoddie reveals the relationship that exists between preferential government policies and ethnic identity change. -- Donald Rothchild, University of California, Davis
Table of ContentsChapter 1 A Theory of Ethnic Realignment Chapter 2 Documenting Ethnic Realignment Chapter 3 Australia Chapter 4 The People's Republic of China Chapter 5 Malaysia Chapter 6 Assam Chapter 7 Conclusions
