What is diversity? How does prejudice show itself? What are the societal consequences of discrimination - toward women? Toward gays? Toward people of color? Toward the poor? Has anything changed over the past 40 years? These are just some of the questions addressed in this introduction to the issues and controversies surrounding the concepts of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation. The opening chapter of "Understanding Diversity" establishes both the importance of the subject - in a "real-life" way - and the necessity of a multilevel approach to exploring it. The chapters on race, gender, class, and sexual orientation are then organized around six consistent themes: terminology, descriptive statistics, concepts of prejudice, social construction, discrimination, and social movements. A discussion of the politics of diversity compellingly demonstrates the role of theory in the search for strategies to combat oppression. Accessible and practical, yet theoretically rich, "Understanding Diversity" is the perfect companion to the many diversity anthologies on the market.

Basic concepts of diversity -- Class -- Race -- Gender -- Sexual orientation -- Disability -- Social change and social movements.