First Published in 1990. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First Published in 1990. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First Published in 1990. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

America, like other modern nations, is characterized by its diversity and can be seen as a complex and fragmented nation-state. Yet an American culture defined by those beliefs, and behaviors that all Americans do share, irrespective of their other cultural affiliations, does exist. This book presents an innovative approach to the issues and aspects in the study of America's unique culture. The real diversity of America is lost in the practice of categorizing people into social (racial or ethnic) groups and then attributing culture to them. While not an exhaustive treatment of the culture, this volume serves as a point of departure for discussions of American culture in a variety of courses both within and outside the discipline of anthropology. Each chapter is accompanied by suggested readings to enable the student to pursue a more in-depth study of any individual topic.

In Volume 17, a series of critical appreciations of George and Louise Spindler's multidisciplinary contributions focus on homogeneity and heterogeneity in American cultural anthropology (S. Parman); the molding of American anthropology (M. Suarez); education (H. Trueba); and the uses of projective techniques in the field (R. Edgerton & G. DeVos). Additional topics include the primary process (M. Spiro); psychotherapy and culture (L. Bloom); unconscious aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict (A. Falk); and medieval messianism and Sabbatianism (W. Meissner).

Healing Multicultural America (1993) looks at a group of Mexican immigrants who managed to understand and use the US democratic system to gain access to the ‘American Dream’. The book aims to assist its readers to understand the significance of the politics of education for ethnic minorities. The authors point up the gravity of the problems experienced by minority groups worldwide which cannot be underestimated: problems such as inter-ethnic conflict, cultural tensions, poverty, alienation, violence and self-rejection.