The Trouble with Diversity

Walter Benn Michaels, a scholar of American literature and culture, argues that the contemporary emphasis on diversity in the United States has become a source of social fragmentation rather than unity. He contends that the political and cultural focus on group identity—race, gender, and ethnicity—has displaced the shared civic values and common ground necessary for a cohesive public life. By examining the history of American education and public discourse, Michaels suggests that the current obsession with difference has made it harder for citizens to find common ground, effectively turning diversity into a problem that undermines the very equality it claims to promote.

The book is a work of cultural criticism that blends academic rigor with accessible prose. Michaels writes with a clear, analytical voice, challenging the prevailing liberal consensus without resorting to polemics. He does not reject the moral importance of equality but questions the specific mechanisms—such as affirmative action and multicultural curricula—that he believes have inadvertently exacerbated social divisions. The text serves as a critical examination of how the language of identity politics has evolved and what its implications are for American democracy and social cohesion.

Description adapted from Open Library bibliographic data ↗.