"Let's be clear from the start what this book is about," writes Roger Sanjek. "Race is the framework of ranked categories, segmenting the human population, that was developed by Western Europeans following their global expansion." To contemporary social scientists, this ranking is baseless, though it has all-too-real effects. Drawing on anthropology, history, sociology, ethnic studies, and women's studies, this volume explores the role of race in a variety of cultural and historical contexts. The essays demonstrate how social elites and members of subordinated groups construct and rework racial meanings and identities within the context of global change. In addition to the editors, the contributors are Robert R. Alvarez Jr., John J. Attinasi, Michael L. Blakey, Ruth Frankenberg, Susan Hautaneimi, Evelyn Hu-DeHart, M. Annette Jaimes, Soheir A. Morsy, Nancy Muller, Robert Paynter, Clara E. Rodriguez, Renato Rosaldo, Karen Brodkin, Dana Y. Takagi, Michel-Rolph Trouillo, Brett Wiliams, and Patricia Zavella.