6th Edition
They and We Racial and Ethnic Relations in the United States
Since its release shortly after the famous March on Washington in 1963, They and We has been a leading text in the field of racial and ethnic relations in the United States. The tradition continues. They and We, 6th edition, presented in the form of twelve linked essays plus an epilogue, offers a jargon-free introduction to the critical study of America's people, their origins and encounters. In addition to a four chapter section devoted to the social history of our diverse population, the author examines the roots of prejudice, patterns of discrimination, the meaning of "minority status," and the issues of power, politics, and pluralism. Particular attention is paid to continuing struggles for group rights among those most beleaguered, reactions to the dramatic increases in immigration from Asia and Latin America and the resurgence of nativism among those who once again feel threatened by "alien" forces, recent political crises such as occurred in the aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, and the war and occupation in Iraq, and continuing debates over multiculturalism. Every chapter has been updated and, where appropriate, changed or added to in light of new challenges and new perspectives. Those familiar with this sociological classic will be pleased to note that Peter Rose's approach to this subject continues to be grounded in his sensitive and engaging approach to the consideration and assessment of troubling issues. Others will come to appreciate this orientation. And all will benefit from the explication of key concepts, the clarity of exposition, and the comprehensiveness of coverage - from the observations of the French visitor Alexis de Tocqueville to contemporary Critical Race Theorists -- in what is still a rather small book.
Biography
Peter I. Rose, a sociologist and writer, is Sophia Smith Professor Emeritus and Senior Fellow of the Kahn Liberal Arts Institute at Smith College. His many books include The Subject is Race, Seeing Ourselves, Strangers in Their Midst, Nation of Nations, Americans from Africa, Working with Refugees, Tempest-Tost, Guest Appearances and Other Travels in Tome and Space and The Dispossessed: An Anatomy of Exile.
"Reading Peter Rose's They and We in the aftermath of the Paris riots makes one realize that, despite some continuing disparities, how far America has progressed toward a multicultural society, and how far Europeans still have to go. They and We should be translated into every language in Europe and done so with all due speed…The revised They and We contains 40 years of accumulated wisdom by one of America's most astute and sensitive observers of inter-group and international relations.”
—Dr. Timothy W. Ryback, Historian and Director, Salzburg Seminar
“They and We is a unique resource: not a standard textbook but an extended, erudite, and deeply engaging essay, itself evolving over the tumultuous decades that it covers with a historian's keen grasp of changing contexts, a novelist's eye for detail, and the sociological imagination to connect biography and history within social structures. Updated and expanded, Peter I. Rose's classic book is an informed and illuminating meditation on some of the most intractable issues of our age: the persistence of "color lines," the meaning of "race," the rebirth of nativism in a new era of mass immigration, the construction and deconstruction of ethnic identities, and the forces that "assimilate" or divide "them" and "us" in American society.”
—Rubén G. Rumbaut, co-author of Immigrant America: A Portrait and Legacies: The Story of the Immigrant Second Generation
“Rose brings more than four decades of observation and reflection to his analysis of race and ethnicity in the United States. He helps us understand both our recent past and the currents now moving us into the future. Students will particularly appreciate Rose's lively and engaging writing style. They will hear his voice on the page and feel his message that sociological realism can debunk popular misconceptions about race and ethnicity.”
—Jeremy Hein, Professor of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
“I read They and We as an undergraduate, while I was turning myself from a physics major into a playwright. I was in pursuit of American character and the drama of our lives. I didn't yet know how to break through the limits of my skin or move beyond the range of my partial vision. They and We revealed to me what we couldn't see in what we always see. Artists like sociologists should offer us the ability to imagine ourselves. As I explore American character on screen, stage, and now in novels, I always feel connected to Peter Rose's wise and elegant masterpiece.”
—Andrea Hairston, author of Mindscape
“There are some aspects of the American Experience, past and present, so fundamental that social literacy demands responsible persons have knowledge of them. Professor Rose’s comprehensive study of our society’s character provides a compelling introduction for the first-time student and a masterful refresher for the experienced reader.”
—Stephen J. Reno, Chancellor University System of New Hampshire
“Peter Rose taught me to think about United States history and society in terms of “the hyphenated American.” In this new and updated edition of They and We, he offers not only an insightful analysis of the debate about ethnicity and race in the United States, he also makes an astute assessment of these issues that remain at the center of contemporary debate.”
—Ruud Janssens, Professor of American Studies, University of Amsterdam
“Peter Rose’s clear-eyed, meticulous study of ‘they’ and ‘we’ comes to us in its sixth edition at this crucial time when we Americans are sorely in need of self-examination if we are to, finally, dismantle this persistent ‘culture of inequality.’”
—Andy Rowan, Lecturer, English Department, Bronx Community College, CUNY
