Multiculturalism and Diversity

Multiculturalism is a theoretical, political, and educational perspective that has had great influence within contemporary psychology but the meaning and implications of which are not yet fully understood. Multiculturalism is a theoretical, political, and educational perspective that has had great influence within contemporary psychology but of which the meaning and implications are not yet fully understood. In Multiculturalism and Diversity, Bernice Lott uses the lenses of social and critical psychology to illuminate the meaning and scope of culture and its relationship with diversity. Lott posits that all human beings in contemporary society are multicultural and focuses on the many dimensions and politics of culture and how these shape individual identities. The definition of culture guiding this book is one that is inclusive and pertains to many human groups, large and small. The author argues that such an approach provides an authentic way of understanding how significant group memberships affect individual self-definition, experience, behavior, and social interaction. Multiculturalism and Diversity positions multicultural psychology as an active, changing, and dynamic field and is sure to stimulate reasoned debate, discussion, and questions for further empirical inquiry. Multiculturalism and Diversity focuses on the ways in which history and identity inform each other, and examines the politics of culture as well as the politics of cultural identities within the U.S. Illustrates the basic proposition that each of us is a unique multicultural human being and that culture affects individual self-definition, experience, behavior, and social interaction Moves from early simple definitions of multiculturalism to more complex understandings focused on culture as learned, teachable (shared), and fluid Uses a critical approach to the study of culture and personal identity that is informed by historical and social factors and an appreciation of their interaction Examines the various cultural threads within the mosaic of a person's multicultural self such as sexual identity, gender, social class, and ethnicity