The monumental Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups is the most authoritative single source available on the history, culture, and distinctive characteristics of ethnic groups in the United States. Dimensions of Ethnicity is designed to make this landmark scholarship available to everyone in a series of handy paperbound student editions. Selections in this series will include outstanding articles that illuminate the social dynamics of a pluralistic nation or masterfully summarize the experience of key groups. Written by the best-qualified scholars in each field, Dimensions Ethnicity will reflect the complex interplay between assimilation and pluralism that is a central theme of the American experience.

Michael Walzer is Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton.

Read More by Michael Walzer:

• Obligations: Essays on Disobedience, War, and Citizenship
• The Revolution of the Saints: A Study in the Origins of Radical Politics
• Interpretation and Social Criticism