Ethnicity and racial relations are almost universally seen as a prime motivating force behind social conflict and change. Often volatile and complex, racial interaction resonates through all aspects of contemporary society. Social issues which appear to have little connection to race often become entagled with ethnic friction to create far more complex problems. Race is often used by individuals and political organizations to further their own objectives.
Since the 1994 publication of the third edition of this acclaimed reference book there have been enormous changes in the area of race...