The Diversity Principle
The Story of a Transformative Idea
$42.98
- Hardcover
416 pages
- Release Date
26 June 2026
Summary
The surprising two-hundred-year history of diversity in education, commerce, and science from the scholar the New Yorker dubbed America’s “diversity detective”
As a war on diversity upends government, corporate, and education policies, the history of the idea of diversity has never been more important. In this contrarian book, David B. Oppenheimer, a diversity skeptic turned diversity admirer, chronicles how diversity became a foundational value of higher edu…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780300279894 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0300279892 |
| Author: | David B. Oppenheimer |
| Publisher: | Yale University Press |
| Imprint: | Yale University Press |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 416 |
| Release Date: | 26 June 2026 |
| Dimensions: | 156mm x 235mm |
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Critics Review
“At its core, The Diversity Principle asks universities, courts, and organizations to stop pretending that diversity is optional. Oppenheimer makes it clear that diversity is not a favor granted to the excluded. Instead, it is a condition for excellence, discovery, and democratic legitimacy. In a time when many institutions are choosing silence or retreat, Oppenheimer’s work insists on something else—memory. The reminder that, properly understood, diversity is a commitment to knowledge itself.”—Marybeth Gasman, Forbes
“David B. Oppenheimer has performed an amazing feat of intellectual detective work by tracing the origins of the concept of diversity in university admissions—and thereby showing that diversity has always been essential to the liberal tradition.”—Nicholas Lemann, dean emeritus, Columbia Journalism School, and author of Higher Admissions: The Rise, Decline, and Return of Standardized Testing
“‘Diversity’ is no newfangled idea. Philosophers and political theorists have known and written for centuries that diverse groups make better decisions. David B. Oppenheimer’s comprehensive tour of diversity’s advocates provides essential armor against those who would now dismiss its value.”—Richard Rothstein, author of The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America and coauthor of Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law
“David B. Oppenheimer explores the diversity principle through fascinating accounts of the historical figures who developed it. His book is a powerful intellectual history presented through captivating stories about compelling characters.”—Nadine Strossen, author of Free Speech: What Everyone Needs to Know
David B. Oppenheimer
David B. Oppenheimer is a clinical professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley.
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