ABSTRACT
This text fills a tremendous gap in the literature on contemporary race relations. Well-organized and expansive, this collection of works covers most of the contested issues in the field of race politics. In Part I, the section on political incorporation, racial polarization, and interethnic discord, Reuel Rogers’s work on group identity and Afro-Caribbean immigrants is a breath of fresh air. Unpacking the historical, contextual, and structural barriers facing Afro-Caribbean incorporation, Rogers is thorough in addressing the issues facing both groups. In confronting the myths and misunderstandings present among both African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans in New York, he informs us about these relationships everywhere. Rogers acknowledges and contests a sentiment that some in both groups embrace—that the other is inferior. His work indicates that this common perception of African American and Afro-Caribbean perceptions is not legitimate. He points out that certain perspectives, and coalitional possibilities, may change with the coming generations. Rogers’s work reminds us that, interethnic relations, at least as they concern people of African descent, are always in flux.
