Race in the 21st Century: Ethnographic Approaches

Race in the 21st Century presents an innovative approach to the vexing task of making sense of Race in social life today. This book examines ethnographic studies of race, first surveying the enormous wealth of qualitative social knowledge about race and then presenting students with prompts and models for formulating their own inquiries into racial matters. Author John Hartigan, Jr., offers a detailed account of what we learn from ethnographers, who examine the interactive, interpretive cultural work that race entails in everyday life. Hartigan also explains how a performance model of racial identity offers great insight into the rapidly changing significance of race.

Unlike most texts, which treat race as a series of distinct groups, Hartigan draws into view the underlying cultural dynamics that commonly shape notions of racial identity and difference for Americans. Drawing on key concepts both from race theorists and qualitative research, Hartigan shows how these distinct bodies of theory and method can be combined in effective, insightful ethnographic research on race.

Ideal for undergraduate courses in race and ethnicity, American culture, and cultural/human diversity, Race in the 21st Century seamlessly brings together classic and contemporary studies in one accessible volume.