Postethnic America: Beyond Multiculturalism

In 1903 W. E. B. Du Bois famously wrote, "The problem of the 20th century is the problem of the color line." Yet as the 21st century gets underway, there are signs everywhere that the color line is, if not permanently disabled, at least a less predictably oppressive factor in American life. David Hollinger, a professor at Cal Berkeley, traces the history of thought about America's varied makeup, from the Eurocentric "melting-pot" ideal of the early 1900's down to the identity politics and multiculturalism of the present. All this provides context for Hollinger's vision of a future America in which ethno-racial identity becomes more of a voluntary affiliation made by individuals, less of an involuntary designation--enforced from without and within--visited on every member of a group. Hollinger argues that the spread of a "postethnic" sensibility would benefit nearly everyone. It would mean a real end to use of physical markers called "race" to identify, and hold back, members of certain communities. Those markers might not be used to reward certain communities either. But they could actually gain strength in being recast as groups of converts, not conscripts.The notion of postethnicity will be challenged by all sorts of interests. Hollinger anticipates and answers many of those challenges. His work is reasonable, fair-minded, and optimistic about our prospects. Those qualities alone set it off from much of what's being tossed around today by social critics. Anthony Appiah has praised Hollinger's "wonderful lucidity and intense moral seriousness," i.e., he has something worth saying, and he says it without resorting to academic doublespeak. This relatively short book is not always an easy read, but that's because it addresses very complex issues in an intelligent way. If you're at all concerned about cultural politics in America, you need to know Hollinger.

David Hollinger's Post-Ethnic America: Beyond Multiculturalism, is a fundamental contribution to the literature on cultural diversity in U.S. society. Hollinger, an intellectual historian, is familiar with the debate which has taken place in the U.S. since the 19th century on how the nation should manage its diversity. He takes a bold stand against standard, garden-variety "multiculturalism", suggesting that the struggle for a more equal society cannot be waged through "identity politics" alone: a common ground must be found (or forged) among all ethnic and racial groups, based on common citizenship and a common aspiration for justice, not just a tolerance for each group's particularities. This very stimulating essay expresses a most original viewpoint in the debate over "multiculturalism".