At the
beginning of the 20th century, discriminatory
practices and legislation were socially sanctioned
and entrenched in the legal system in North America,
but in the intervening period, our society has
experienced a human rights revolution.
"Diversity" is now our newest cultural
ideal.
Drawing
on his experience as a social scientist, Walter
Johnson outlines some of the challenges posed by the
increasing ethno-cultural diversity of North American
society through an examination of immigration
history, the current debate over immigration policy,
and the "hot button" issues of
multiculturalism, racism, employment equity
legislation, and racial profiling. He examines the
effects of government policy on aboriginal
populations; reviews recent data from Corrections
Canada and the United States Department of Justice to
illustrate how social and ethnic inequality affects
the likelihood of being incarcerated; and examines
the tension between religious tradition and the
secular nature of society; the increasing
generational conflict; the rise of street gangs; and
controversies over the changing role of women.
Despite
heightened public security concerns after 9/11 that
have focused intense scrutiny on immigrants and
refugees from countries torn by religious and ethnic
divisions, Johnson found a dramatic improvement in
our level of tolerance and understanding, and
identified a much broader recognition of the rights
of other people. These changes, he believes, took
place because of the dedication and social activism
of countless numbers of courageous individuals and
groups who challenged the established norms of
society.
Table of Contents
Walter
Johnson is the author of two books and numerous
articles and radio documentaries on work, urban
politics and technological change in such
publications as Our Generation,
The Canadian Forum, New Internationalist, Policy
Options, and for the CBC. For
over twenty years, he has taught courses on human
rights, diversity, and health issues to career
program students in Police Technology, Correctional
Intervention, and Nursing at John Abbott College in
Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec. Johnson has a BA
(distinction) in Sociology from McGill University and
an MA in Sociology from Concordia University in
Montreal.
272
pages, 6x9, resources, bibliography, index
Paperback ISBN: 1-55164-272-7 $29.99
Hardcover ISBN: 1-55164-273-5 $58.99
Cultural Studies
September
2005
