Multiculturalism and Diversity focuses on the ways in which history and identity inform each other, and examines the politics of culture as well as the politics of cultural identities within the U.S. Illustrates the basic proposition that each of us is a unique multicultural human being and that culture affects individual self-definition, experience, behavior, and social interaction Moves from early simple definitions of multiculturalism to more complex understandings focused on culture as learned, teachable (shared), and fluid Uses a critical approach to the study of culture and personal identity that is informed by historical and social factors and an appreciation of their interaction Examines the various cultural threads within the mosaic of a person's multicultural self such as sexual identity, gender, social class, and ethnicity