Broad-ranging and comprehensive, this incisive new textbook examines the shifting meanings of 'race' and ethnicity and collates the essential concepts in one indispensable companion volume. From Marxist views to post-colonialism, this book investigates the attendant debates, issues and analyses within the context of global change. Using international case studies from Australia, Malaysia, the Caribbean, Mexico and the UK and examples of popular imagery that help to explain the more difficult elements of theory, this key text focuses on everyday life issues such as: ethnic conflicts and polarized states racism(s) and policies of multiculturalism diasporas, asylum seekers and refugees mixed race and hybrid identity Incorporating summaries, questions, illustrations, exercises and a glossary of terms, this student-friendly text also puts forward suggestions for further project work. Broad in scope, interactive and accessible, this book is a key resource for undergraduate and postgraduate level students of 'race' and ethnicity across the social sciences.