Multiculturalism and Diversity: A Social Psychological Perspective

Multiculturalism is a theoretical, political, and educational perspective that has had great influence within contemporary psychology but of which the meaning and implications are not yet fully understood. In Multiculturalism and Diversity, Bernice Lott uses the lenses of social and critical psychology to illuminate the meaning and scope of culture and its relationship with diversity. Lott posits that all human beings in contemporary society are multicultural and focuses on the many dimensions and politics of culture and how these shape individual identities.

The definition of culture guiding this book is one that is inclusive and pertains to many human groups, large and small. The author argues that such an approach provides an authentic way of understanding how significant group memberships affect individual self-definition, experience, behavior, and social interaction. Multiculturalism and Diversity positions multicultural psychology as an active, changing, and dynamic field and is sure to stimulate reasoned debate, discussion, and questions for further empirical inquiry.

Multiculturalism is a theoretical, political, and educational perspective that has had great influence within contemporary psychology but of which the meaning and implications are not yet fully understood. In Multiculturalism and Diversity, Bernice Lott uses the lenses of social and critical psychology to illuminate the meaning and scope of culture and its relationship with diversity. Lott posits that all human beings in contemporary society are multicultural and focuses on the many dimensions and politics of culture and how these shape individual identities.

The definition of culture guiding this book is one that is inclusive and pertains to many human groups, large and small. The author argues that such an approach provides an authentic way of understanding how significant group memberships affect individual self-definition, experience, behavior, and social interaction. Multiculturalism and Diversity positions multicultural psychology as an active, changing, and dynamic field and is sure to stimulate reasoned debate, discussion, and questions for further empirical inquiry.

Bernice Lott is Professor Emerita of Psychology and Women’s Studies at the University of Rhode Island and is a former Dean of its University College. She received her university’s Excellence Award for scholarly achievement, an honorary degree as Doctor of Humane Letters, served as president of APA’s Division 35 (The Psychology of Women), and has been honored for scholarly, teaching, mentoring, and social policy contributions by APA’s Committee on Women, Division 35, the Association for Women in Psychology, the National Multicultural Conference and Summit, and the New England Psychological Association.