This best-selling, classic text provides students with a vibrant and comprehensive introduction to racial and ethnic studies, and helps them understand and explore the issues confronting a variety of ethnic groups in both the U.S. and other countries. Beginning with a thorough introduction to how sociologists think about race and ethnicity, the text then moves on to chapters on each major group, examining the group's history, then exploring the group's current situation and its concerns as we move into the 21st century.