Ethnicity and Human Rights in Canada

James S. Frideres is associate dean (research) in the Faculty of Social
Sciences at the University of Calgary and the author of A World of
Communities: Participatory Research.

Potential readers of this new edition should be forewarned that it is
not a legal assessment of human rights, but rather a sociological
analysis of ethnicity that necessarily involves legal issues. The author
brings to light new issues and assesses how old debates have been
resolved, both within the courts and in the sociopolitical arena, in the
10 years since the book’s original publication.

Individual chapters examine the concept of race and its biological and
sociological significance; the origins of racism and the different forms
it takes; the effects of racism and discrimination on ethnic relations;
the stratification system in Canada; ethnic integration; the
multicultural movement; and the development of the legal framework of
human-rights protection in Canada. By providing examples of the
concepts, the author is able to achieve a nice blend of theory and
reality.

Two shortcomings are Kallen’s failure to make adequate use of more
current social and legal research, and the eccentric organization of her
book. Nevertheless, Ethnicity and Human Rights in Canada makes a
substantive contribution to ethnicity literature and must be considered
essential reading for students and teachers alike.