Cultural Diversity in the United States: A Critical Reader is an unprecedented collection of contemporary writings on the central issues of cultural diversity in the United States by some of anthropology's most notable scholars. Comprised of over 20 newly commissioned chapters and other pieces, and sponsored by the American Anthropological Association, this volume offers a wide range of perspectives from anthropologists as a means of understanding how the discipline can provide critical contexts for the exploration of cultural diversity in the United States. Moreover, the breadth of anthropological inquiry collected here represents a remarkable opportunity for those studying or teaching this vital issue. The contributors to this landmark reader rethink diversity, identity politics, and multiculturalism, and provide tools for the analysis of critical political issues in the United States today. Important areas of discussion include: re-examining U.S. social and political history: establishing a framework for the understanding of inequality: and confronting simplistic images of diversity in an effort to enrich and deepen understanding of difference.