On Being Different: Diversity and Multiculturalism in the North American Mainstream

by Conrad Kottak

On Being Different provides an up-to-date, comprehensive, and interdisciplinary account of diversity and multiculturalism in the United States and Canada. Kottak and Kozaitis clarify essential issues, themes, and topics in the study of diversity, including ethnicity, religion, gender, and sexual orientation. The book also presents an original theory of multiculturalism, showing how human agency and culture work to organize and change society. The authors use rich and varied ethnographic examples, from North America and abroad, to help students apply the material to their own lives, and thus gain a better understanding of diversity and multiculturalism.

Genres: Anthropology

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Massive political bias. Agenda-driven. Perpetuates a culture of victimization. Poor sentence structure--often repetitive and full of long lists--creates difficulty focusing on the material. Some chapters are mostly factual and do not cross the line. Most chapters advance an advocation of policy and action that undermines American values of opportunity and success. Extended to its logical conclusion, the line of thought in this book would lead to a society in which *perceived* societal benefit outweighs the success of any individual, yet despite its disincentives, is collectively viewed as beneficial: the very heart of socialism. This book is the reason that institutions of higher learning have (and deserve) a reputation for liberal indoctrination.

[Meredith Kaupp]

Really only read chapter 2 for a class - interesting discussion of the different aspects of culture and how the lines between cultures are becoming more blurred in modern times. I don't feel the need to read the rest, since the focus is very much on anthropology, which isn't my field.