Today's world involves increased contact among people from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds, creating problems for many people. This book views diversity through the eyes of the children of diversity: the offspring of "mixed" marriages between different races, religions, or nationalities.

Using personal case studies, this comprehensive work examines the difficulties that can accompany close, interpersonal relationships across racial or cultural backgrounds. Identity struggles are common, as the author finds people who are told they must identify as Black because they look Black - and are later informed, sometimes by the same person, that they are not "really Black." They attempt to define their identity - when half the family says they are Christian, and the other half insists they are Jewish. They are required to "pick one" box for race, when their parents are from different races. This book describes their experiences and suggests ways of improving relationships across racial and cultural lines.

Applied chapters suggest ways to improve diverse relationships at three levels: at the "micro" level, improving one-on-one relationships across ethnic or racial lines; at the "meso" level, developing programs to improve diverse relationships in schools and other community settings, particularly schools; at the "macro" level, through an analysis of the experiences of five different societies with diverse populations.

Zusammenfassung

The 21st century sees an increasing number of cultural minorities in the United States. Particularly, the rise in multi-cultural or mixed heritage families is on the rise. As with many trends, just as the amount of diversity increases, so does the level of resistance in groups that oppose this diversity.

While this problem exists through life for persons from multicultural backgrounds, the tension is particularly acute for children, whose identities and socialization experiences are still in formation. With parents from different cultural backgrounds, as well as school and community experiences giving that might question their diverse heritage, children are likely to experience distressing confusion. How can they come to terms with this conflict, and how can family and community help them to resolve it?

Combining case studies and interviews, this work particularly focuses on multi-cultural families as a yet untapped source of information about inter-culture contact. Voices of Diversity: Multiculturalism in America will be both a resource for researchers and practitioners, as well as a practical guide to families dealing with these issues every day.

Inhalt
Theoretical Foundations: An Analysis of the Place of Race, Culture, and Diversity in American Society.- A Brief Review of American Views of Multi-culturalism.- American Multi-culturalism in the 21st Century.- Data Analysis: Hearing the Voices of Persons From Culturally Diverse Families.- Sources of Multi-culturalism in Families.- Growing Up Painful: Problems of Multi-cultural Socialization.- Developing an Identity Out of Multiple Options.- It Takes a Village: Critical Role of the Social Environment on Identity Formation.- Achieving Success in Multi-cultural Families.- Applying Our Knowledge: Incorporating Multi-Culturalism Into Social Policies and Programs.- Improving Personal Relations for Multi-cultural People.- Incorporating Diversity at the Community Level Example 1: Developing a School Program Which Encourages and Supports Racial and Ethnic Diversity.- Incorporating Diversity at the Community Level Example 2: Mainstreaming Immigrant Children Through Coordinated Parallel Socialization Workshops.- Models of Multi-culturalism in an International Context.