The Politics of Minority Coalitions: Race, Ethnicity, and Shared Uncertainties

This important new volume analyzes relations among America's minority groups, specifically the prospects of political coalitions among those usually unrelated groups: African Americans, Asian-Americans, Latinos, Jews, Arab-Americans, and Native Americans. At the end of the 20th century, the United States is faced with a situation where minority groups are no longer assimilating but rather are moving toward separate mini-societies, complete with separate languages, cultures, and economies. Even if society accepts the notion that cultural pluralism is consistent with democratic principles, the possibility of political hyperpluralism (endless and nonproductive conflicts among groups) is disturbing. This volume, therefore, attempts to address the concerns, examining the background of minority organizations, voting behavior issues, and coalitional possibilities. This volume will be of interest to scholars and students alike in American government and ethnic and minority politics.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction by Wilbur C. Rich African Americans and the Coalitional Mood An Anatomy of the Black Political Class by Martin L. Kilson Blacks and Coalition Politics: A Theoretical Reconceptualization by Jerry Gafio Watts Coalition and Competition: Patterns of Black-Latino Relations in Urban Politics by Paula D. McClain Asian Americans, Conflicts, and Political Self Korean-Black Conflicts and Street Level Politics by Yong Hyo Cho and Pan Suk Kim Beyond Redress: The Future of Japanese American Politics on the Mainland by Don Toshiaki Nakanishi Bridges Across Continents: South Asians in the United States by Arati Rao Exclusion and Fragmentation in Ethnic Politics: Chinese Americans in Urban Politics by L. Ling-Chi Wang Latinos and the Challenge of Politics Cuban Americans in Miami Politics: Understanding the Cuban Model by Dario Moreno The Effects of Primordial Claims, Immigration, and the Voting Rights Act on Mexican American Sociopolitical Incorporation by Rodolfo O. de la Garza More Than the Sum of Its Parts: The Building Blocks of a Pan-Ethnic Latino Identity by Louis DeSipio Jews and American Politics American Jews and Their Liberal Political Behavior by Lana Stein The Impact of Demographic and Social Change on the Jewish Political Agenda in the 1990s by Terri Susan Fine Native Americans and the Challenge of Urban Life Coalitions and Alliances: The Case of Indigenous Resistance to the Columbian Quincentenary by Glenn T. Morris Politics in the Mainstream: Native Americans as the Invisible Minority by Walter C. Fleming Arab Americans and Political Images Arabs and Muslims in the American Society by Mohammad T. Mehdi The Arab Lobby: Political Identity and Participation by Ayad Al-Qazzaz Index About the Contributors

About the Author :
WILBUR C. RICH is Professor of Political Science at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. He is the author of Black Mayors and School Politics (1996) and Coleman Young and Detroit Politics (1989).

Review :
?[P]resents a hard but realistic picture of race and ethnic relations and the multiple challenges that minorities face in building coalitions, including the unsympathetic dominant white population as exemplified by intra- and inter-ethnic sterotypes of minority groups. Moreover, it provides a vairety of perspectives on each minority group. The chapters are rich in content, expounding historical encounters of poltically emerging groups and analytical and theoretical frameworks as well as insights into the persistent problems of groups having minority status. It is a significant contribution toward a better understanding of the politics of minority groups and their delicate relations with mainstream America.?-Journal of American Ethnic History ?Rich's edited volume on the possibility of nondominant groups in the US forming effective political coalitions is one of the best on the topic. His reach is encyclopedic, including African, Asian, Latino, Jewish, Native, and Arab American groups creating what he calls a 'mosaic' competing with dominant political groups and with each other to become or remain powerful political actors in the US. He includes scholars well known for their skill in discussing coalition politics, including Paula McClain, Arati Rao, Rodolfo de la Garza, Lana Stein, and Mohannad T. Mehdi, to provide a wealth of perspectives. Tables are thoughtful and quite readable for those not well versed in quantitative behavioral science. The comparative nature of this approach to race and ethnicity includes musings on intra- and intergroup violent behavior--a sobering commentary. The reference materials at the conclusion of each chapter are well presented. Specialists and novices need to read this book because a multiple, interactive perspective on race and ethnic relations is a critical necessity in the current political scene.?-Choice "ÝP¨resents a hard but realistic picture of race and ethnic relations and the multiple challenges that minorities face in building coalitions, including the unsympathetic dominant white population as exemplified by intra- and inter-ethnic sterotypes of minority groups. Moreover, it provides a vairety of perspectives on each minority group. The chapters are rich in content, expounding historical encounters of poltically emerging groups and analytical and theoretical frameworks as well as insights into the persistent problems of groups having minority status. It is a significant contribution toward a better understanding of the politics of minority groups and their delicate relations with mainstream America."-Journal of American Ethnic History "[P]resents a hard but realistic picture of race and ethnic relations and the multiple challenges that minorities face in building coalitions, including the unsympathetic dominant white population as exemplified by intra- and inter-ethnic sterotypes of minority groups. Moreover, it provides a vairety of perspectives on each minority group. The chapters are rich in content, expounding historical encounters of poltically emerging groups and analytical and theoretical frameworks as well as insights into the persistent problems of groups having minority status. It is a significant contribution toward a better understanding of the politics of minority groups and their delicate relations with mainstream America."-Journal of American Ethnic History "Rich's edited volume on the possibility of nondominant groups in the US forming effective political coalitions is one of the best on the topic. His reach is encyclopedic, including African, Asian, Latino, Jewish, Native, and Arab American groups creating what he calls a 'mosaic' competing with dominant political groups and with each other to become or remain powerful political actors in the US. He includes scholars well known for their skill in discussing coalition politics, including Paula McClain, Arati Rao, Rodolfo de la Garza, Lana Stein, and Mohannad T. Mehdi, to provide a wealth of perspectives. Tables are thoughtful and quite readable for those not well versed in quantitative behavioral science. The comparative nature of this approach to race and ethnicity includes musings on intra- and intergroup violent behavior--a sobering commentary. The reference materials at the conclusion of each chapter are well presented. Specialists and novices need to read this book because a multiple, interactive perspective on race and ethnic relations is a critical necessity in the current political scene."-Choice