Includes bibliographical references (pages 535-580) and index.

About the authors -- Part I: An introduction to the study of minority groups in the United States -- chapter 1: Diversity in the United States : questions and concepts -- chapter 2: Assimilation and pluralism : from immigrants to white ethnics -- chapter 3: Prejudice and discrimination -- Part II: Evolution of dominant-minority relations in the United States -- chapter 4: The development of dominant-minority group relations in preindustrial America -- chapter 5: Industrialization and dominant-minority relations -- Part III: Understanding dominant-minority relations in the United States today -- chapter 6: Black Americans -- chapter 7: Native -- chapter 8: Hispanic -- chapter 9: Asian -- chapter 10: New Americans, assimilation, and old challenges -- Part IV: Other groups, other patterns -- chapter 11: Gender -- chapter 12: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual Americans -- chapter 13: Dominant-minority relations in a cross-national perspective -- Part V: Challenges for the present and the future -- chapter 14: Minority groups and U.S. society -- Glossary -- References -- Index.

Known for its clear and engaging writing, the bestselling Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Class: The Sociology of Group Conflict and Change has been thoroughly updated to be fresher, more relevant, and more accessible to undergraduates. The text uses sociological perspectives and a consistent conceptual framework to tell the story of America's minority groups, today and throughout history. By presenting information, asking questions, and examining controversies, it demonstrates that understanding what it means to be an American has always required us to grapple with issues of diversity and difference.