Description: How do categories of people come to be seen as "different"? How does being "different" affect people's lives? What does difference mean at the level of the individual, social institutions, or society? What difference does "difference" make? The Meaning of Difference offers a conceptual structure and up-to-date readings on the differences distinctive to American life--differences of race and ethnicity, sex and gender, social class, sexuality, and disability.
Brief description: Toni-Michelle C. Travis is Associate Professor of Government and Politics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She is also a faculty member in the Women's Studies and African American Studies Programs. Professor Travis received her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Chicago. Her areas of research and teaching include race and gender in political participation, and urban politics. She has served as the President of the National Capital Area Political Science Association and the Women's Caucus of the American Political Science Association. She hosts Capital Regional Roundtable, a cable television show, and is a frequent commentator on Virginia politics.