In 3 experiments, White American college students received a message advocating either a color-blind or a multicultural ideological approach to improving interethnic relations and then made judgments about various ethnic groups and individuals. Relative to a color-blind perspective, the multicultural perspective led to sU'onger stereotypes, greater accuracy in these stereotypes, and greater use of category information in judgments of individuals. This increase in between-category differentiation occurrexi both for attributes that favored the in-group and for attributes that favored the out-group and was also paired in some cases with greater overall positivity toward the out-group. The findings lead us to question the implicit assumption driving the majority of social psychological efforts at prejudice reduction: that the categorization process leads to prejudice, and that the relevance of social categories must therefore be de-emphasized. The historical idea of a unifying American identity is now in peril .... Instead of a transformative nation with an identity all its own, America in this new light is seen as preservative of diverse alien identifies .... The multiethnic dogma abandons historical purpose, replacing assimilation by fragmentation, integration by separatism. It belittles unum and glorifies pluribus .... One wonders: Will the center hold? Or will the melting pot give way to the Tower of Babel. (Schlesinger, 1992, pp. 16-18) Ethnic lines will not disappear in the foreseeable future. In many parts of the world strong forces are drawing those lines more sharply. Ethnic groups in conflict mutually reinforce their antagonistic identifies. In the midst of collapsing states and empires, old dreams of their own nation-state become vivid for many long-suffering ethnic minorities. In less conflictual settings, the continuing need for a more personal identity in a culturally complex and rapidly changing world persists .... At this period in history, it is not a matter of assimilation versus ethnicity, but of assimilation and ethnicity.

Survey data collected from multiethnic samples of geographically dispersed college students and a national probability sample of US adults were utilized to examine the correlates of support for multiculturalism and assimilation-two competing interethnic ideologies, or ideals for how an ethnically diverse society should optimally function. Endorsement of multiculturalism and assimilation was related to perceived ethnic group differences, intergroup bias, and voting behavior on a number of public policies, but in opposite directions. Relative to white participants, ethnic minority participants endorsed multiculturalism to a greater extent, reported higher levels of group identification, and were more likely to support pro-diversity public policies. Discussion focuses on explanations for the variety of observed differences between ethnic minority and majority respondents, on the meaning of assimilation and multiculturalism, and on the argument that harmony between ethnic groups and dissimilarity between ethnic groups need not be thought of as mutually exclusive. KEY WORDS: multiculturalism; assimilation; racial and ethnic differences; racial and ethnic attitudes; public policy.The integrity of democracy in the United States has fluctuated considerably through a history thick with conflict over issues surrounding racism and ethnic diversity. Models of thinking about ethnic diversity that

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Focus group research was conducted to examine indigenous conceptions of wellness among the Yup'ik Eskimos of southwestern Alaska. The dialogue on wellness emphasized the importance of living a traditional lifestyle, seeking creative solutions to manage drastic cultural change, and fostering connection within the communities and the native landscape. These themes mesh well with existing characterizations of Alaska Native experiences and worldviews, and reflect substantial links between enculturation, acculturation and health. The data underscores the importance of comprehending local conceptions of wellness in order to effectively work toward promoting optimal health. This paper represents part of an ongoing dialogue in which researchers and native communities co-direct the investigation into healthy ways of being in the world.

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