Ethnic/Racial Relations in the United States in Comparative Perspective

Abstract

Ethnic/racial relations in the United States are compared with those in other countries on six dimensions: saliency, polarity, hierarchy versus qualitative differentiation, territoriality, relationship to government, and conflict proc esses. Ours were found to be unusual compared with other countries in the growing salience of ethnic/racial relations, their bipolarity, their emphasis on hierarchy over cultural contrast, the casting of government in the role of protagonist for the underclass, and the ethnic specificity and direction of violence. Some evidence of international convergence is noted.