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As it absorbs record numbers of new immigrants, the U.S. faces critical questions: is it better to promote a unifying, shared identity that transcends ethnic differences or to foster a multicultural salad of distinct group identities? Is it better to minimize ethnic distinctions or to accentuate them with diversity initiatives and ethnic preferences? Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire takes a global, historical perspective to address these questions, examining how societies, from ancient Rome to modern Rwanda, have dealt with them. It provides essential analysis and data for America and other countries that are contemplating an increasingly multiethnic future.

Shermer and Heycke discuss: \\u2022 melting pots \\u2022 culture \\u2022 multiculturalism \\u2022 identity politics \\u2022 cancel culture \\u2022 cultural appropriation \\u2022 Critical Race Theory \\u2022 Affirmative Action \\u2022 why group preferences tend to last forever \\u2022 human nature and factionalism \\u2022 how official recognition and group preferences exacerbate group divisiveness \\u2022 how group identification is fluid and contextual

Jens Heycke was educated in Economics and Near Eastern Studies at the University of Chicago, the London School of Economics, and Princeton University. He worked as an executive in several technology startups, including one that created the first Internet mobile phone. Since retiring from high tech, he has worked as an independent researcher and writer on culture and ethnic conflict, conducting field research around the world, from Bosnia to Botswana. He is the author of Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire: Multiculturalism in the World\\u2019s Past and America\\u2019s Future.