This volume investigates the structural and social mechanisms that define the relationships between dominant and subordinate groups within the American experience. Norman R. Yetman and C. Hoy Steele compile a comprehensive collection of scholarly essays and research to examine how race and ethnicity function as primary determinants of social stratification. The text provides a rigorous framework for understanding the historical development of prejudice, the persistence of inequality, and the evolving nature of minority status in the United States.

The subject matter points to a dense, specialist text designed for academic inquiry into the complexities of American social stratification. Its framing suggests a foundational resource for students and researchers seeking to understand the historical and structural underpinnings of racial and ethnic relations.