The Disuniting of America: Reflections on a Multicultural Society was published by W.W. Norton in 1991 (expanded edition 1998). Schlesinger — a lifelong liberal — shocked many of his allies by arguing that the rise of identity politics, Afrocentrism, and ethnic separatism in education threatened the common civic culture that holds America together.
Schlesinger’s argument is straightforward: America’s genius is the creation of a new national identity that transcends ethnic origins through shared commitment to democratic principles, individual rights, and the English language. The multicultural movement — by insisting that ethnic and racial identity is primary, that Western civilization is merely the ideology of white oppression, and that separate groups need separate histories — threatens to undo this achievement and replace a unified republic with a collection of hostile tribes.
The book was controversial because it came from the left rather than the right. Schlesinger was a Democrat, a Kennedy liberal, a champion of civil rights — and he was arguing that multiculturalism was bad for the very minorities it claimed to serve. Critics charged him with naivety about America’s actual history of racial exclusion and with defending a “common culture” that had always been defined by white Anglo-Saxon Protestants. Defenders argued that Schlesinger was defending genuine universalism against tribalism. The debate the book provoked has only intensified in subsequent decades.
Collecting The Disuniting of America
First edition (W.W. Norton, New York, 1991): Cloth with dust jacket (also simultaneously in paperback).
Market values:
- First edition hardcover, fine/fine: $20–$50
- Signed: $50–$100
Projected values (2026–2036): Modest appreciation.
Against Balkanization
The Disuniting of America: Reflections on a Multicultural Society (1991) is Schlesinger’s polemic against what he saw as the dangers of identity politics and multiculturalism. He argued that the emphasis on ethnic and racial identity was undermining the common civic culture that held America together, and that “the cult of ethnicity” threatened to balkanize the country. The book was controversial: liberals accused Schlesinger of betraying progressive values, while conservatives praised his defense of the melting pot ideal. Originally published as a short essay, it was expanded into a book that remains widely debated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Schlesinger against diversity? No — he was against what he considered the politicization of diversity. He supported civil rights and racial equality but opposed the teaching of history from a single ethnic perspective and the replacement of a common American identity with competing group identities.