ABSTRACT
Cultural pluralism was a fact in American society before it became a theory—a theory with explicit relevance for the nation as a whole. This theory developed into an image of the United States as a country enhanced by its diversity. Increasing numbers of African Americans claimed that they ought not to be defined simply by their color but that they too were members of an ethnic group. Such an assertion had an interesting side effect. It strengthened the general ideology of pluralism and fed the politics of identity. Responding to the demands of Black Power advocates, many white and Asian and Latino “ethnics” seemed to rediscover their own roots. Almost all of America’s immigrants and many of their descendants at one time or another have been the targets of discrimination, and many have been its perpetrators: categorical discrimination is not confined to the majority.
