NEW from M.E. Sharpe…

Constructing

“Race” and “Ethnicity”

in America

Category-Making in

Public Policy and Administration

Dvora Yanow, California State University, East Bay

What do we mean in the U.S. today when we use the terms “race” and “ethnicity”? What do we mean, and what do we understand, when we use the five standard race-ethnic categories: White, Black, Asian, Native American, and Hispanic? Most federal and state data collection agencies use these terms without explicit attention, and thereby create categories of American ethnicity for political purposes. Dvora Yanow argues that “race” and “ethnicity” are socially constructed concepts, not objective, scientifically grounded variables, and do not accurately represent the real world. She joins the growing critique of the unreflective use of “race” and “ethnicity” in American policymaking through an exploration of how these terms are used in everyday practices. Her book is filled with current examples and analyses from a wealth of social institutions: health care, education, criminal justice, and government at all levels. The questions she raises for society and public policy are endless. Yanow maintains that these issues must be addressed explicitly, publicly, and nationally if we are to make our policy and administrative institutions operate more effectively.

What the critics are saying…

“Dvora Yanow skillfully traces the ‘production of race’ in U.S. public policies and administrative practices. She demonstrates that racial and ethnic classifications, as well as the assignment of particular individuals to particular races/ethnicities, are political projects that have profoundly shaped the life prospects of U.S. citizens. Yanow also probes the enormously difficult question: What can now be done to rectify this history of politically generated inequities? Her thought-provoking prescription should stimulate a much-needed and long-overdue debate about the appropriate remedies for a history of political injustice.” – Mary Hawkesworth, Rutgers University

“Dvora Yanow’s synthesis of years of pathbreaking work on race and ethnicity is a tour de force. Her topic has been exhaustively studied by others but her unique creativity shines through as she brings her combined interpretive, policy analytical, political, and ethical expertise to bear on some of the central dilemmas of American life. Combining political realism with profound optimism, Yanow offers possibilities for change where others only imagine forces beyond our control and she persuasively urges us to change ourselves for the better.” – Davydd Greenwood, Cornell University

Selected Contents:

Part I. Laying the Groundwork: Giving a(n) (Ac)count

1. Constructing Categories: Naming, Counting, Science, and Identity

2. Toward an American Categorical "Science" of Race and Ethnicity: OMB Directive No. 15

Part II. Making Race-Ethnicity Through Public Policies

3. Color, Culture, Country: Race and Ethnicity in the U.S. Census

4. Identity Choices? Agency Policies and Individual Resistance

Part III. Making Race-Ethnicity Through Administrative Practices

5. Ethnogenesis by the Numbers, Ethnogenesis by "Eyeballing"

6. Constructing Race-Ethnicity Through Social Science Research: Managing Workplace Diversity

Part IV. Telling Identities: The Contemporary Legacy

7. Public Policies as Identity Stories: American Race-Ethnic Discourse

8. Changing (Ac)counting Practices: Meditation on a Problem

November 2002. 262 pages. Tables, figures, references, index. 0-7656-0801-4 Paperback $24.95

Order Form

To request an exam copy, please call (800) 541-6563, extension 155.

Yes! I would like to order:

____ copies of Constructing “Race” and “Ethnicity” in America (Paperback 0804-1) @ $24.95

Name _________________________________________________________________________

Address _________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip _________________________________________________________________________

Daytime Phone _________________________________________________________________________

Fax # _________________________________________________________________________

E-mail _________________________________________________________________________

For U.S. & Canadian surface mail, add US$4.00 for the first book, SUBTOTAL _______________

and US$1.50 for each additional book.

SALES TAX* _______________

For UPS in the U.S. add US$5.00 for the first book and US$1.50

for each additional book. SHIPPING/HANDLING _______________

For surface mail outside the U.S. and Canada, add US$5.00 for the TOTAL _______________

first book and US$3.00 for each additional book

(estimated delivery time 9-12 weeks). * NY State residents add tax

For the following methods of shipment, we will bill you additional

postage (please indicate preference):

[ ] air printed matter [ ] registered foreign book rate Credit Card: [ ] American Express [ MasterCard [ ] Visa

[ ] other _________________________ Card Number _____________________________________

Payments must be made by check or money order in U.S. funds Expiration Date ___________________________________

drawn on a U.S. bank.

Signature ________________________________________

Prices subject to change without notice.

Library, bookstore, wholesaler, distributor, and institutional orders

Thank you for your order! with an authorized signature and purchase order number will be billed. All

DM230 (please refer to this code when placing your order) other orders must be prepaid before shipment.

M.E Sharpe, Inc. 80 Business Park Drive, Armonk, NY 10504

Tel: 914 273-1800 or 800 541-6563 · Fax: 914 273-2106

E-mail: custserv@mesharpe.com · www.mesharpe.com