The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexual Orientation, and Disability

The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexual Orientation, and Disability Review

In The Meaning of Difference, Karen Rosenblum and Toni-Michelle Travis examine the social construction of difference in American life—particularly in regard to race and ethnicity, sex and gender, social class, sexual orientation, and disability. This text-reader contains four framework essays that examine the construction of difference, the experience of difference, the social meaning of difference, and social actions that might bridge differences. Each essay is followed by a set of readings selected for readability, conceptual depth, and application to a variety of statuses. Boxed boxes, most written by students, illustrate personal experiences. This sixth edition includes twenty-four new readings and ten new personal accounts. The framework essays have been substantively revised and updated. The new readings, many from authors who have captured national attention, have been chosen because they speak to contemporary assumptions of a “post-racial” America.