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A Brief Review of American Views of Multi-culturalism

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Voices of Diversity

Part of the book series: Clinical Sociology: Research and Practice ((CSRP))

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It is important to recognize the important roles that different cultural groups have played in American society. It is tempting for each generation and each era to view what is happening as unique – as though it has never happened before. For example, many people at the turn of the 21st century look at the cultural mix and insist that America has never had so great a diversity as exists today. They see the increase in immigration, multiple language groups, and very different religions – Muslim, Hindu, and Shintoism – the groups today are so different from the past. They wonder how a unified society can ever come of this mix. In order to place 21st century diversity in context, we need to look at the cultural context of previous generations of Americans. Is 21st century diversity really a unique phenomenon? Or does it follow a model established in the past?

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Throughout this work, I will use the terms “Black” and “African-American” interchangeably.

  2. 2.

    Throughout this work, the terms “Latins,” “Latino/Latina,” “Spanish-American,” and “Hispanic” will be used interchangeably.

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  1. Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

    Mary Sengstock (Dr)

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  1. Mary Sengstock
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Sengstock, M. (2009). A Brief Review of American Views of Multi-culturalism. In: Voices of Diversity. Clinical Sociology: Research and Practice. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-89666-3_1

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