Nathan Glazer (1923–2019) was professor of education and sociology emeritus at Harvard University, where he moved in 1969 from the University of California–Berkeley. Earlier in his career he served on the staff of Commentary magazine, as an editorial adviser to Anchor Books, and as an official with the Housing and Home Finance Agency during the Kennedy administration. His books include American Judaism (1957), Beyond the Melting Pot (1963), Affirmative Discrimination (1975), Ethnic Dilemmas, 1964–1982 (1983), The Limits of Social Policy (1988), and We Are All Multiculturalists Now (1997).
How do democracies deal with the deep divisions created by race, ethnicity, religion, and language? The cases of Canada, India, and the United States show that democratic institutions—notably, competitive elections and independent judiciaries—can bridge divides and build stability, but they must find a way to manage the tension between individual and group equality.
