Unmeltable Ethnics: Politics and Culture in American LifeTransaction Publishers - 486 pages "There is no such thing as one homo Americanus. There is no single culture here." So begins this extraordinary volume on ethnicity in America by Michael Novak. The point of this book, which was originally published as The Rise of the Unmeltable Ethnics, is to raise consciousness about a crucial part of the American experience. Its aim is to involve each reader in self-inquiry. Who, after all, are you? What history brought you to where you are? Why are you different from others? And have you noticed the ways in which you are distinct? The new text now contains a fourth part, "Ethnicity in the Seventies and Beyond," comprising six new chapters: "The New Ethnicity"; "Pluralism: A Humanistic Perspective"; "Ethnicity and Cultural Diversity"; "How American are You if Your Grandparents Came from Slovakia in 1888?"; "One Species, Many Cultures"; and "The Social World of Individuals." The author has also written a comprehensive new introduction, discussing the changes that have occurred since the book was first written, detailing how ethnicity has become a prominent issue in politics, and adamantly denouncing the current trend known as "multiculturalism," which, Novak notes, has been improperly associated with ethnicity. When the book first appeared, Time said that "Novak has attacked the American Dream in order to open up a possible second chapter for it." Newsweek called it "a tough minded provocative book which could well signal an important change in American politics." Unmeltable Ethnics is of significant interest to sociologists, political theorists, and scholars and students interested in ethnicity, and how it has become part of the mid-1990s debate on American society and its future. |
Contents
ix | |
Preface to the Paperback Edition 1973 | xxxvii |
Preface 1971 | xlix |
Acknowledgements | lv |
ETHNIC ASSERTION | 1 |
YOU CANT GO HOME AGAIN | 59 |
Inferiority in America | 85 |
Remembrance | 137 |
THE NEW ETHNIC POLITICS | 277 |
The Ethnic Democratic Party | 314 |
The New Ethnicity | 345 |
A Humanistic Perspective | 360 |
Ethnicity and Cultural Diversity | 387 |
How American Are You If Your Grandparents | 399 |
One Species Many Cultures | 420 |
The Social World of Individuals | 437 |
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Common terms and phrases
American Anglo-Saxon attitudes authority become believe better blacks called Catholic cities civil consciousness culture democratic diversity dream eastern economic educated elites emotional enlightened established ethnic ethnic groups Europe example experience expression fact feel force future give hand human ideals imagination immigrants individual institutions intellectuals interests Irish Italian Italy Jewish Jews language least Left less liberal liberty live look major mean moral nature neighborhood never one's organic past percent perhaps persons political practice present Press professional Protestant race rational reality reason religion respect schools seems sense social society speak style symbolic tend things tion traditions understand United universal values violence WASP workers writes York young
References to this book
The Unmaking of Americans: How Multiculturalism Has Undermined the ... John J. Miller Limited preview - 1998 |