Navigating Ethnicity: Segregation, Placemaking, and Difference

Abstract

This important book provides a novel perspective on ethnicity, nationality, and race by considering how they are shaped by their geography. Exploring the complicated terrain of ethnicity through an expansive global perspective, David H. Kaplan traces the spatial arrangements that convey such potent meaning to the identity and opportunities of members of any cultural group. With examples from around the world, the author considers the most important aspects of ethnicity—from segregation to place making to multiculturalism, culture regions, diasporas, and transnationalism. He frames ethnicity as a contingent phenomenon, showing how context and place determine the position, definitions, behaviors, and attitudes toward and by members of an ethnic group. Drawing on an impressive depth of historical and empirical detail, Kaplan's analysis of the critical role of ethnicity in everyday geographies makes a major contribution to the field.