Tribal Basis Of American Life

For 300 years, American culture and society have been shaped by ethnic conflict. This book reveals how the unique characteristics of the American socio-political system have impacted intergroup conflict. This contributed volume collects the most current thinking on intergroup dynamics and on specific conflicts and specific groups with a special emphasis on the Jewish-American experience.

The demographic portrait of this country has undergone vast changes. Many newly emerging groups that promote building group pride and solidarity are obtaining greater economic and political power. This current emphasis on groups also sheds light on the tribal dimension of the past in American life. This contributed volume examines how these forces are to be reconciled and will be of interest to students of sociology, religion, and multicultural studies.

Booknews

Will the American experiment of creating a cohesive society out of an increasingly diverse population succeed or fail? Nine essays address this question from a variety of perspectives. Together the articles treat race, class, ethnicity, immigration, religion, and their interrelationships. Some of the specific issues discussed include the persistence of anti-Asian hatred; the factors behind the Crown Heights riots in Brooklyn, NY; the religious roots of the culture wars; how various waves of immigration at different periods of history have interacted with American society; and a comparative perspective of ethnic conflict in the US, particularly in light of the experiences of Western and Eastern Europe. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

MURRAY FRIEDMAN is the Director of the Myer and Rosaline Feinstein Center for American Jewish History, Temple University, and Middle Atlantic States Director for Philadelphia Chapter of the American Jewish Committee.

NANCY ISSERMAN is the Associate Director of the Myer and Rosaline Feinstein Center for American Jewish History, Temple University.