Diversity in America : keeping government at a safe distance /
Schuck, Peter H.
Cambridge, Mass. : Belknap Press of Harvard University Press,
2003.
"Peter H. Schuck explains how Americans have understood diversity, how we came to embrace it, how the government regulates it now, and how we can do better. He mobilizes a wealth of conceptual, historical, legal, political, and sociological analysis to argue that diversity is best managed not by the government but by families, ethnic groups, religious communities, employers, voluntary organizations, and other civil society institutions. Analyzing some of the most controversial policy arenas where politics and diversity intersect - immigration, multiculturalism, language, affirmative action, residential neighborhoods, religious practices, faith-based social services, and school choice - Schuck reveals the conflicts, trade-offs, and ironies entailed by our commitment to the diversity ideal. He concludes with recommendations to help us manage the challenge of diversity in the future."--Jacket.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
[Pt.] I. Thinking about diversity. First thoughts ; Taxonomies, sources, and legal structures ; A new ideal and why it matters -- [Pt.] II. Managing diversity. Immigration: importing and assimilating diversity -- Affirmative action: defining and certifying diversity -- Residential neighborhoods: subsidizing and mandating diversity -- Religion: protecting and exploiting diversity -- Concluding thoughts: premises, principles, policies, and punctilios.
"Peter H. Schuck explains how Americans have understood diversity, how we came to embrace it, how the government regulates it now, and how we can do better. He mobilizes a wealth of conceptual, historical, legal, political, and sociological analysis to argue that diversity is best managed not by the government but by families, ethnic groups, religious communities, employers, voluntary organizations, and other civil society institutions. Analyzing some of the most controversial policy arenas where politics and diversity intersect - immigration, multiculturalism, language, affirmative action, residential neighborhoods, religious practices, faith-based social services, and school choice - Schuck reveals the conflicts, trade-offs, and ironies entailed by our commitment to the diversity ideal. He concludes with recommendations to help us manage the challenge of diversity in the future."--Jacket.
Cultural pluralism
Multiculturalism
Minorities
Immigrants
Civil society
Diversity in America.