The Age of Obama : The Changing Place of Minorities in British and American Society

Drawing on collaborative research from a team at Harvard and Manchester universities, this book asks how two very different societies are responding to the tide of diversity that is being felt around the rich world. Injustice, it turns out, still blights the lives of many UK and US minorities – particularly African Americans – and there are signs that the new diversity strains community life. Yet in both countries, public opinion is running irreversibly in favour of tolerance. That augurs well for the future – and suggests that a British Obama cannot be ruled out. Drawing on collaborative research from a distinguished team at Harvard and Manchester universities, The age of Obama asks how two very different societies are responding to the tide of diversity that is being felt around the rich world. Guardian journalist Tom Clark, Robert D. Putnam – best-selling author of Bowling alone – and Manchester's Edward Fieldhouse offer a wonderfully readable account. Like Bowling alone, The age of Obama mixes social scientific rigor with accessible charts and lively arguments. It will be enjoyed by politics, sociology and geography students, as well as by anyone else with an interest in ethnic relations. Injustice, it turns out, still blight lives of many UK and US minorities – particularly African Americans. And there are signs the new diversity strains community life. Yet in both countries, public opinion is running irreversibly in favour of tolerance. That augurs well for the future – and suggests a British Obama cannot be ruled out. Front matter Contents Preface and acknowledgements List of tables, boxes and figures Notes on the authors and contributors Introduction: the diversity revolution Two concepts in two countries: race and migration Home truths: how minorities live The rickety ladder of opportunity: minorities and work Mosaic or cracked vase? Diversity and community life Distorting mirrors: media framing and political debate Tidal generation: politics and deeper currents in public opinion Concluding thoughts: making a success of the revolution Bibliography Index Drawing on callaborative research from a team at Harvard and Manchester universities, this book asks how two very different societies are responding to the tide of diversity that is being felt around the rich world. 'The Age of Obama' mixes social scientific rigour with accessible charts and lively arguments As the world marvelled at a black family moving into the White House, arguments raged over whether America’s race relations had truly been transformed. This book looks at the hard facts of life for minorities on both side of the Atlantic, providing an illuminating comparative picture of diversity. -- .