Although the past decade has witnessed a surge in the number of publications focusing on ethnic groups and ethnic issues, the genre of study which may be called “ethnic history of America”‘ is still weakly represented. As a relatively pioneering effort, the Dinnerstein, Nichols and Reimers book makes a valuable contribution, and it could be justifiably recommended for American history courses, American Society courses, and courses on ethnicity. The general periodization of history is good, and the important ethnic developments within each period are related effectively to the emergence and growth of the United States politically and economically as well as ideologically

Parming, Tönu

English

VCU Scholars Compass

32 BOOK REV I EWS L E O N A R D  D I N N E R S T E I N ,  R O G E R  L .  N I C H O L S , A N D  D A V I D  M .  R E I M E R S . NA TIVES A ND STRA NGERS : ETHNIC GROUPS AND THE BUIL DING OF AMERICA . New Yo r k :  O x f o r d  U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 7 9 . 3 3 3  p p .  $ 1 3 . 9 5  c l o t h , $ 4 . 0 0 p a p e r .  A l though the pas t  decade has  w i tnessed a su rge i n  the number of pub l  i ca t i ons focus i ng on ethn i c  g roups and ethn i c  i s sues , the gen re of s t udy wh i ch may be ca l l ed "ethnic history of America " i s  s t i  I I wea k l y represen ted . As a re l a t i ve l y  p i oneer i ng effor t ,  the D i nne r s te i n ,  N i cho l s  and Re i me r s  book ma kes a va l ua b l e  con­t r i but i on , �d i t  cou l d  be j us t i f i a b l y recommended for Amer i can h i story cou r ses , Ame r i ca n  Soc i ety cou rses , and cou rses on ethn i ­c i ty .  The genera l pe r i od i za t i on of  h i s to ry i s  good , and the i mpo rtant  e t hn i c  deve l opments  w i th i n  each per i od a re r e l a ted effec t i ve l y  to the eme rgence and g rowt h  of t he Un i ted S ta tes po l i t i ca l I y  and econom i ca l l y  as we l l  as i deo l og i ca l l y .  Al so l a udatory , i s  the a u t ho r s ' b road def i n i t i on of ethnicity . Ra ther than con fo rm i n g to recen t t rends i n  both scho l a r sh i p  and pu b l  ic po l i cy ,  wh i c h have come to equa te ethn i c i ty w i t h  m i nor i ty s ta tus based on race , the authors  con t i nue i n  the t rad i t i on of Wa rner and S ro l e ,  Gordon , and Moyn i han and G l a z e r . That i s  to say , the book dea l s  bo th w i th the "m i no r i ty e t hn i cs "  and the "wh i te ethn i c s . "  We a re to l d ,  a l be i t  b r i ef l y ,  a bout  a l l maj o r  ethn i c  g roups i n  Ame r i can  � i s tory , the i r  un i que soc i a l  cha rac ter­i s t i cs , and the te rms of t he i r  con tac t w i th  the hos t soc i e ty . The ma i n  i n te l l ectua l  themes of t he book a ppea r  to be tha t ethn i c  groups were i mpo rtant  i n  the bu i l d i n g o f  t he cou n t ry ,  and tha t i n terethn i c  proces ses a re bes t unde rs tood i n  the d i c hotom i zed form of "na t i ves vs s t range rs . "  Yet severa l sho r tcom i ngs  me r i t  men t i on a s  we l l .  F i rs t ,  wh i l e  the autho r s  cove r the d i sc r i m i natory consequences of  such i deo l o­g i ca l  f rameworks a s  rac i sm ,  an t i - Ca t ho l i c i sm and an t i -Sem i t i sm ,  a s s i m i l a t i on i sm i s  not fea t u red . Yet perhaps noth i ng has been so un i ve r sa l l y  consequen t i a l  for e t hn i c i ty i n  t h i s  cou n t ry ' s  b r i ef h i s tory a s  t he Eng l i s h sett l e rs ' conc l us i on tha t t he Un i ted Sta tes wa s their coun t ry ,  and tha t  eve ryone e l se had to renounce the i r own her i tage . I ndeed , pub l  i c  pressu res - both i ns t i tut i on­a l l y  and po l i cy-w i se - to  th i s  end  we re p ronounced unt i l  ve ry recen t l y .  Wh i c h i s  to say , tha t  th i s  rev i ewe r s t rong l y  d i sag rees w i t h the book ' s  i n te r preta t i on wh i c h  i mp l  i es tha t t he non - En g l  i sh peop l e  we re a l  I j us t  dy i ng to forget the i r  own her i tage and to a s s i m i l a te . Ra the r , t he goa l - i dea l wa s i mposed , more of ten than no t ,  coe rc i ve l y  by an Eng l  i s h- dom i na ted core or hos t  soc i e ty . Book Reviews 33 Second , i n  t he pa s t  decade there have been p rofound s h i f t s  i n  bot h  i deo l ogy and  pub l i c  po l i c y ,  res pec t i ve l y ,  towa rd mu l t i ­cu l tu ra l i sm and the  p roh i b i t i on o f  d i sc r i m i na to ry prac t i ces . The a u thors ' a t ten t i on i s  focu sed on the  s t rugg l e  a ga i ns t  d i sc r i m i na ­t i on a t  t h e  expense  o f  the  c ha n ge i n  i deo l ogy . Th i s  i s  n o t  to say t ha t  t he cove rage of the  f i gh t  for  soc i a l  and econom i c  j us t i ce s hou l d  be  l essened i n  such a book , but  that  the more o r  l es s  ex­c l us i ve focus  on i t  ha s b l i nded the a u thors to t he other  i mpo r­tant soc i e ta l change wh i c h  occu r red s i mu l taneou s l y ,  name l y  the l eg i t i ma t i on o f  mu l t i -cu l t u ra l  i sm ,  o r ,  i n  other word s ,  t he d i s­p l acemen t o f  t he fo rme r l y  re i gn i ng i deo l ogy of a s s i m i l a t i on i sm .  I mpo r ta n t l y ,  bot h  c hanges  were forced by the  ethn i c s  t hemse l ves . Th i s  l eads  me on the l a s t  two po i n ts .  The a u t hors ' s ta teme n t  on page 3 08 that  "the renewed assertion of ethnic pride and iden­tity iS3 no doubt3 the Zast gasp of a dying swan3 " a ppea rs  a s  a g ross  ove r s ta temen t and man i fes t s  a seem i n g a s s i m i l a t i on i s t b i a s .  The c ho i ce ,  i n  rega rd to e t hn i c i ty ,  i s  not I i m i ted t o  ghe t tb cu l t u re on the  one hand and a n g l  i c i zed Ame r i can i sm on t he o t he r . One may not on l y  compa rtmen ta l i ze i de n t i t i es ,  but  t he ethn i c  i den­t i ty may be as  mod e rn i zed - as  con tempo ra ry - a s  the  core Ame r i can  one , wha teve r t ha t  i s .  I n  any  ca s e , I know of no emp i r i ca l  ev i ­dence wh i ch wou l d  a t tes t tha t there ha s been a p rofound as s i m i l a ­t i on o f  any  maj o r  ethn i c  g roup . Perhaps the  con fus i on ensues , a s  u s ua l , f rom t h e  gene ra l t ende�cy to con fuse a s s i m i l a t i on as  a soc i a l  p rocess and  a s  a n  i deo l ogy , and  the  fa i l u re to d i s t i ngu i sh a na l yt i ca l l y  between i nd i v i dua l and g roup- l eve l componen t s  of  e t h n i c  i den t i ty .  Lots of  individuaZs may i nd eed be "a s s i m i l a t i ng" (a l t hough  we cannot s eem to p i n po i n t  wha t t hese peop l e  t hen have become ) , but groups t hems e l ves have pe r s i s t ed . Las t l y ,  t h e  por t raya l o f  t he ' 'wh i te e t hn i cs "  i n  the  l a s t  chap­t er ,  i n  rea c t i ve t e rms , i s  unfortuna te . The Ea s t  and Sou t h  E u ro­pea n commun i t i es p l ayed a s i gn i f i ca n t  ro l e  i n  t h e  i deo l og i ca l  s h i f t  wh i ch ha s occ u r red ; and f u r t he rmore , emp i r i ca l  s tud i es show the  "wh i te e t hn i c" i n  genera l to have , i n  the  l a s t  severa l decades , a fa i r l y  I i be ra l  vot i ng reco rd i n  e l ec t i ng pub l i c  of f i c i a l s ,  more  so  than  na t i ve wh i te P ro ies tants . Tha t i s  to  say , these g roups have of ten made poss i b l e  the  e l ec t i on o f  the  I i be ra l s  who we re i ns t rumen ta l i n  res pond i ng to m i nor i ty demands to end d i sc r i m i na ­tory prac t i ces . My own conve rs a t i on s  w i t h  wh i te ethn i c  commun i ty l eaders  a n d  the  read i ng of t he i r  press  wou l d  i nd i ca t e  t ha t  the  reaction i s  not  to B l a c k  ga i n s ,  but  to the  i n t e l l ec t ua l s ' ,  t he l i b e ra l s ' ,  and , i n  genera l , t he new pu b l i c  po l i c i es '  i n s i s t ence tha t the  fo rme r a re a l l s i mp l y  whites . And i ndeed , t h i s  pa r t i cu ­l a r i n te r p re t a t i ve p rob l em ex i s t s  t h roughou t t h e  boo k .  When the  wr i ters  ta l k  a bout  Eu ropean i mm i g ra n t s , t hey po i n t  out  the f re ­q u e n t  p rej ud i ces and d i sc r i m i na t i on wh i c h  t he ea r l i e r Eng l i s h­Ame r i ca n s  d i s p l ayed . But  when the  d i scuss i on sw i tches to m i no r i ­t i es , t h e  a u t ho r s  s h i f t qu i c k l y to a bas i ca l l y  rac i a l  conceptua l i ­zat i on .  Fo r examp l e ,  where exac t l y  i s  the  ev i dence t ha t  t he I r i s h oppose Ch i cano goa l s  and ga i n s ,  o r  t ha t  t h e  Po l i sh oppose t hose  of B l acks?  34 Explorations in Ethnio Studies These , of cou r s e ,  a re prob l ems wh i c h  pe rmea te the who l e  f i e l d  o f  ethn i c  s tudy . Yet , i f  a second ed i t i on s hou l d  b e  p repa red , i t  wou l d  be hoped tha t t he a u t ho r s  a t tempt to un tang l e  such i ssues . I t  wou l d  ma ke for a much better  book . But  even now , th i s  i s  one of the bes t ethn i c  h i s to r i es of the Un i ted Sta tes . T<>n u  Pa rm i n g University of Maryland A C R O S S - C U L T URAL S T U D Y  OF MINO R I T Y  E L D E R S  I N  SAN D I E GO: THE ELDER P H I L I P I N O  by R o b e r t a  P e t e r s o n , 4 6  p p . ; THE ELDER B L A C� by E .  P e r c i I S t a n f o r d , 6 3  p p . ; THE E L D ER SAMOAN b y  We s l e y H .  I s h i k a wa , 4 4  p p . ; T H E  E L D E R  JAPANESE by Ka r e n  C .  I s h i z u k a , 6 1  p p . ; T H E  ELDER G UA MA N I A N  b y  We s I e y  H .  I s h i k a w a , 3 9  p p . ;  'J: H E  E L D E R  L A T I N O  b y  Ra mo n  V a l I e  & L y d i a  M e n d o z a , 1 0 3 p p . ; T H E  E L D E R  C H I N E S E  b y  E v a  C h e n g , 4 6  p p .  S a n  D i e go : T h e  C a m p a n i l e P r e s s , 1 9 7 8 . These a re seven monog raphs pu b l  i s hed by the Cen ter  on Ag i ng a t  San D i ego Un i vers i ty (The Campan i l e Press , 1 978 ) . Each mono­graph i s  the resu l t  of a team of resea rchers i nves t i ga t i n g an ethn i c  g rou p .  These c ross-cu l tu ra l  s tud i es o f  m i no r i ty e l ders  in  San D i ego i n ves t i gate  samp l es of B l acks , C h i nese , Japanese , La t i nos , Ph i l  i p i nos , Samoans , and Guaman i an s  aged 50 and ove r .  W i th  a common me thodol ogy , the resea rc hers  obj ect i ves a re : - To exp l ore and desc r i be the cha rac te r i s t i c  I i fe s ty l es and pr i mary  i n te rac t i ona l netwo rks of ethn i c  m i no r i ty o l der  peop l e .  - To i den t i fy percept i on s  and a t t i t udes of ethn i c  m i no r i ty e l de r s  towa rd fo rma l p rog ramma t i c  a s s i s tance and ana l yze the re l a t i on s h i p  between the cha rac ter i s t i c  l i festy l es and the u se and pe rcept i on of  fo rma l a s s i s tance . - To des i gn and tes t a me thodo l ogy adopted for a ppropr i a te­ness and e f fec t i veness i n  obta i n i n g i n fo rma t i on abou t ethn i c  popu l a t i ons , s pec i f i ca l l y  the e l d e rs of t hese popu l a t i ons . (Va l I e  and Mendoza , LATINO, p .  1 )  The resea rche rs b l end t rad i t i ona l methods w i t h  mod i f i ca t i ons-­P l a t i ca me thodo l ogy- - tha t are  des i gned to  purpos i ve l y  e l  i c i t  and  desc r i be the  ethn i c  popu l a t i ons  be i n g i nves t i ga t ed . As  pa rt  of  the i r pu rpos i ve des i gn ,  each team of resea rche r s  ta i l o red I�he researoh instruments and oontaot patterns specifically to the linguistic and situational differentials to be encountered within each ethnic cohort " (op . c i t . , p . 4 ) . I n terv i ewers we re of  t he same e t hn i c i ty as t he i r  i n terv i ewees . Forma l and  i n fo rma l commu ­n i t y netwo rks were u t i l  i zed to ga i n  i n terv i ewees ; con tacts  were made through acqua i n tance networks , soc i a l  and reI i g i ou s  organ i ­za t i ons , and  other cu l t u ra l  b rokers . I n te rv i ewer a pproaches can 

[Review of] Leonard Dinnerstein, Roger L. Nichols, and David M. Reimers Natives and Strangers: Ethnic Groups and the Building of America

32 
BOOK REV I EWS 
L E O N A R D  D I N N E R S T E I N ,  R O G E R  L .  N I C H O L S , A N D  D A V I D  M .  
R E I M E R S . NA TIVES A ND STRA NGERS : ETHNIC GROUPS AND 
THE BUIL DING OF AMERICA . New Yo r k :  O x f o r d  U n i v e r s i t y 
P r e s s , 1 9 7 9 . 3 3 3  p p .  $ 1 3 . 9 5  c l o t h , $ 4 . 0 0 p a p e r .  
A l though the pas t  decade has  w i tnessed a su rge i n  the number 
of pub l  i ca t i ons focus i ng on ethn i c  g roups and ethn i c  i s sues , the 
gen re of s t udy wh i ch may be ca l l ed "ethnic history of America " 
i s  s t i  I I wea k l y represen ted . As a re l a t i ve l y  p i oneer i ng effor t ,  
the D i nne r s te i n ,  N i cho l s  and Re i me r s  book ma kes a va l ua b l e  con­
t r i but i on , �d i t  cou l d  be j us t i f i a b l y recommended for Amer i can 
h i story cou r ses , Ame r i ca n  Soc i ety cou rses , and cou rses on ethn i ­
c i ty .  The genera l pe r i od i za t i on of  h i s to ry i s  good , and the 
i mpo rtant  e t hn i c  deve l opments  w i th i n  each per i od a re r e l a ted 
effec t i ve l y  to the eme rgence and g rowt h  of t he Un i ted S ta tes 
po l i t i ca l I y  and econom i ca l l y  as we l l  as i deo l og i ca l l y .  
Al so l a udatory , i s  the a u t ho r s ' b road def i n i t i on of ethnicity . 
Ra ther than con fo rm i n g to recen t t rends i n  both scho l a r sh i p  and 
pu b l  ic po l i cy ,  wh i c h have come to equa te ethn i c i ty w i t h  m i nor i ty 
s ta tus based on race , the authors  con t i nue i n  the t rad i t i on of 
Wa rner and S ro l e ,  Gordon , and Moyn i han and G l a z e r . That i s  to 
say , the book dea l s  bo th w i th the "m i no r i ty e t hn i cs "  and the 
"wh i te ethn i c s . "  We a re to l d ,  a l be i t  b r i ef l y ,  a bout  a l l maj o r  
ethn i c  g roups i n  Ame r i can  � i s tory , the i r  un i que soc i a l  cha rac ter­
i s t i cs , and the te rms of t he i r  con tac t w i th  the hos t soc i e ty . 
The ma i n  i n te l l ectua l  themes of t he book a ppea r  to be tha t ethn i c  
groups were i mpo rtant  i n  the bu i l d i n g o f  t he cou n t ry ,  and tha t 
i n terethn i c  proces ses a re bes t unde rs tood i n  the d i c hotom i zed 
form of "na t i ves vs s t range rs . "  
Yet severa l sho r tcom i ngs  me r i t  men t i on a s  we l l .  F i rs t ,  wh i l e  
the autho r s  cove r the d i sc r i m i natory consequences of  such i deo l o­
g i ca l  f rameworks a s  rac i sm ,  an t i - Ca t ho l i c i sm and an t i -Sem i t i sm ,  
a s s i m i l a t i on i sm i s  not fea t u red . Yet perhaps noth i ng has been 
so un i ve r sa l l y  consequen t i a l  for e t hn i c i ty i n  t h i s  cou n t ry ' s  
b r i ef h i s tory a s  t he Eng l i s h sett l e rs ' conc l us i on tha t t he Un i ted 
Sta tes wa s their coun t ry ,  and tha t  eve ryone e l se had to renounce 
the i r own her i tage . I ndeed , pub l  i c  pressu res - both i ns t i tut i on­
a l l y  and po l i cy-w i se - to  th i s  end  we re p ronounced unt i l  ve ry 
recen t l y .  Wh i c h i s  to say , tha t  th i s  rev i ewe r s t rong l y  d i sag rees 
w i t h the book ' s  i n te r preta t i on wh i c h  i mp l  i es tha t t he non - En g l  i sh 
peop l e  we re a l  I j us t  dy i ng to forget the i r  own her i tage and to 
a s s i m i l a te . Ra the r , t he goa l - i dea l wa s i mposed , more of ten than 
no t ,  coe rc i ve l y  by an Eng l  i s h- dom i na ted core or hos t  soc i e ty . 
Book Reviews 33 
Second , i n  t he pa s t  decade there have been p rofound s h i f t s  i n  
bot h  i deo l ogy and  pub l i c  po l i c y ,  res pec t i ve l y ,  towa rd mu l t i ­
cu l tu ra l i sm and the  p roh i b i t i on o f  d i sc r i m i na to ry prac t i ces . The 
a u thors ' a t ten t i on i s  focu sed on the  s t rugg l e  a ga i ns t  d i sc r i m i na ­
t i on a t  t h e  expense  o f  the  c ha n ge i n  i deo l ogy . Th i s  i s  n o t  to say 
t ha t  t he cove rage of the  f i gh t  for  soc i a l  and econom i c  j us t i ce 
s hou l d  be  l essened i n  such a book , but  that  the more o r  l es s  ex­
c l us i ve focus  on i t  ha s b l i nded the a u thors to t he other  i mpo r­
tant soc i e ta l change wh i c h  occu r red s i mu l taneou s l y ,  name l y  the 
l eg i t i ma t i on o f  mu l t i -cu l t u ra l  i sm ,  o r ,  i n  other word s ,  t he d i s­
p l acemen t o f  t he fo rme r l y  re i gn i ng i deo l ogy of a s s i m i l a t i on i sm .  
I mpo r ta n t l y ,  bot h  c hanges  were forced by the  ethn i c s  t hemse l ves . 
Th i s  l eads  me on the l a s t  two po i n ts .  The a u t hors ' s ta teme n t  
on page 3 08 that  "the renewed assertion of ethnic pride and iden­
tity iS3 no doubt3 the Zast gasp of a dying swan3 " a ppea rs  a s  a 
g ross  ove r s ta temen t and man i fes t s  a seem i n g a s s i m i l a t i on i s t b i a s .  
The c ho i ce ,  i n  rega rd to e t hn i c i ty ,  i s  not I i m i ted t o  ghe t tb 
cu l t u re on the  one hand and a n g l  i c i zed Ame r i can i sm on t he o t he r . 
One may not on l y  compa rtmen ta l i ze i de n t i t i es ,  but  t he ethn i c  i den­
t i ty may be as  mod e rn i zed - as  con tempo ra ry - a s  the  core Ame r i can  
one , wha teve r t ha t  i s .  I n  any  ca s e , I know of no emp i r i ca l  ev i ­
dence wh i ch wou l d  a t tes t tha t there ha s been a p rofound as s i m i l a ­
t i on o f  any  maj o r  ethn i c  g roup . Perhaps the  con fus i on ensues , a s  
u s ua l , f rom t h e  gene ra l t ende�cy to con fuse a s s i m i l a t i on as  a 
soc i a l  p rocess and  a s  a n  i deo l ogy , and  the  fa i l u re to d i s t i ngu i sh 
a na l yt i ca l l y  between i nd i v i dua l and g roup- l eve l componen t s  of  
e t h n i c  i den t i ty .  Lots of  individuaZs may i nd eed be "a s s i m i l a t i ng" 
(a l t hough  we cannot s eem to p i n po i n t  wha t t hese peop l e  t hen have 
become ) , but groups t hems e l ves have pe r s i s t ed . 
Las t l y ,  t h e  por t raya l o f  t he ' 'wh i te e t hn i cs "  i n  the  l a s t  chap­
t er ,  i n  rea c t i ve t e rms , i s  unfortuna te . The Ea s t  and Sou t h  E u ro­
pea n commun i t i es p l ayed a s i gn i f i ca n t  ro l e  i n  t h e  i deo l og i ca l  
s h i f t  wh i ch ha s occ u r red ; and f u r t he rmore , emp i r i ca l  s tud i es show 
the  "wh i te e t hn i c" i n  genera l to have , i n  the  l a s t  severa l decades , 
a fa i r l y  I i be ra l  vot i ng reco rd i n  e l ec t i ng pub l i c  of f i c i a l s ,  more  
so  than  na t i ve wh i te P ro ies tants . Tha t i s  to  say , these g roups 
have of ten made poss i b l e  the  e l ec t i on o f  the  I i be ra l s  who we re 
i ns t rumen ta l i n  res pond i ng to m i nor i ty demands to end d i sc r i m i na ­
tory prac t i ces . My own conve rs a t i on s  w i t h  wh i te ethn i c  commun i ty 
l eaders  a n d  the  read i ng of t he i r  press  wou l d  i nd i ca t e  t ha t  the  
reaction i s  not  to B l a c k  ga i n s ,  but  to the  i n t e l l ec t ua l s ' ,  t he 
l i b e ra l s ' ,  and , i n  genera l , t he new pu b l i c  po l i c i es '  i n s i s t ence 
tha t the  fo rme r a re a l l s i mp l y  whites . And i ndeed , t h i s  pa r t i cu ­
l a r i n te r p re t a t i ve p rob l em ex i s t s  t h roughou t t h e  boo k .  When the  
wr i ters  ta l k  a bout  Eu ropean i mm i g ra n t s , t hey po i n t  out  the f re ­
q u e n t  p rej ud i ces and d i sc r i m i na t i on wh i c h  t he ea r l i e r Eng l i s h­
Ame r i ca n s  d i s p l ayed . But  when the  d i scuss i on sw i tches to m i no r i ­
t i es , t h e  a u t ho r s  s h i f t qu i c k l y to a bas i ca l l y  rac i a l  conceptua l i ­
zat i on .  Fo r examp l e ,  where exac t l y  i s  the  ev i dence t ha t  t he I r i s h 
oppose Ch i cano goa l s  and ga i n s ,  o r  t ha t  t h e  Po l i sh oppose t hose  
of B l acks?  
34 Explorations in Ethnio Studies 
These , of cou r s e ,  a re prob l ems wh i c h  pe rmea te the who l e  f i e l d  
o f  ethn i c  s tudy . Yet , i f  a second ed i t i on s hou l d  b e  p repa red , 
i t  wou l d  be hoped tha t t he a u t ho r s  a t tempt to un tang l e  such i ssues . 
I t  wou l d  ma ke for a much better  book . But  even now , th i s  i s  one 
of the bes t ethn i c  h i s to r i es of the Un i ted Sta tes . 
T<>n u  Pa rm i n g 
University of Maryland 
A C R O S S - C U L T URAL S T U D Y  OF MINO R I T Y  E L D E R S  I N  SAN D I E GO: 
THE ELDER P H I L I P I N O  by R o b e r t a  P e t e r s o n , 4 6  p p . ; THE 
ELDER B L A C� by E .  P e r c i I S t a n f o r d , 6 3  p p . ; THE E L D ER 
SAMOAN b y  We s l e y H .  I s h i k a wa , 4 4  p p . ; T H E  E L D E R  JAPANESE 
by Ka r e n  C .  I s h i z u k a , 6 1  p p . ; T H E  ELDER G UA MA N I A N  b y  
We s I e y  H .  I s h i k a w a , 3 9  p p . ;  'J: H E  E L D E R  L A T I N O  b y  Ra mo n  
V a l I e  & L y d i a  M e n d o z a , 1 0 3 p p . ; T H E  E L D E R  C H I N E S E  b y  
E v a  C h e n g , 4 6  p p .  S a n  D i e go : T h e  C a m p a n i l e P r e s s , 1 9 7 8 . 
These a re seven monog raphs pu b l  i s hed by the Cen ter  on Ag i ng 
a t  San D i ego Un i vers i ty (The Campan i l e Press , 1 978 ) . Each mono­
graph i s  the resu l t  of a team of resea rchers i nves t i ga t i n g an 
ethn i c  g rou p .  These c ross-cu l tu ra l  s tud i es o f  m i no r i ty e l ders  
in  San D i ego i n ves t i gate  samp l es of B l acks , C h i nese , Japanese , 
La t i nos , Ph i l  i p i nos , Samoans , and Guaman i an s  aged 50 and ove r .  
W i th  a common me thodol ogy , the resea rc hers  obj ect i ves a re : 
- To exp l ore and desc r i be the cha rac te r i s t i c  I i fe s ty l es and 
pr i mary  i n te rac t i ona l netwo rks of ethn i c  m i no r i ty o l der  
peop l e .  
- To i den t i fy percept i on s  and a t t i t udes of ethn i c  m i no r i ty 
e l de r s  towa rd fo rma l p rog ramma t i c  a s s i s tance and ana l yze 
the re l a t i on s h i p  between the cha rac ter i s t i c  l i festy l es 
and the u se and pe rcept i on of  fo rma l a s s i s tance . 
- To des i gn and tes t a me thodo l ogy adopted for a ppropr i a te­
ness and e f fec t i veness i n  obta i n i n g i n fo rma t i on abou t 
ethn i c  popu l a t i ons , s pec i f i ca l l y  the e l d e rs of t hese 
popu l a t i ons . (Va l I e  and Mendoza , LATINO, p .  1 )  
The resea rche rs b l end t rad i t i ona l methods w i t h  mod i f i ca t i ons-­
P l a t i ca me thodo l ogy- - tha t are  des i gned to  purpos i ve l y  e l  i c i t  and  
desc r i be the  ethn i c  popu l a t i ons  be i n g i nves t i ga t ed . As  pa rt  of  
the i r pu rpos i ve des i gn ,  each team of resea rche r s  ta i l o red I�he 
researoh instruments and oontaot patterns specifically to the 
linguistic and situational differentials to be encountered within 
each ethnic cohort " (op . c i t . , p . 4 ) . I n terv i ewers we re of  t he 
same e t hn i c i ty as t he i r  i n terv i ewees . Forma l and  i n fo rma l commu ­
n i t y netwo rks were u t i l  i zed to ga i n  i n terv i ewees ; con tacts  were 
made through acqua i n tance networks , soc i a l  and reI i g i ou s  organ i ­
za t i ons , and  other cu l t u ra l  b rokers . I n te rv i ewer a pproaches can 


https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1078&context=ees

[Review of] Leonard Dinnerstein, Roger L. Nichols, and David M. Reimers Natives and Strangers: Ethnic Groups and the Building of America

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