The combined effort of 78 contributors in 246 pages, this latest edition to Routledge's very good Companion to… series may set a new benchmark. Featuring insights from historians, anthropologists, political scientists, theologians, philosophers and more, the combined expertise of so many voices is brilliantly collected by the editors and ensures a breadth and depth of coverage, and their brief to “write in a thoughtful way without including citations” keeps the material accessible; enjoyable even. Both a “one‐stop‐shop” and a platform to “jump off” for readers who wish to learn more (through the selective key readings sections at the end of essays/entries), the book is in keeping with the aims and form of its companion Companions, divided into a collection of essays on key areas within the field and a subject glossary.
The editors state in their well‐written introduction that they wanted essay contributors to write as if they were “giving a lecture”, and they have delivered the kind of lectures that excite undergraduates out of Tuesday morning hangovers with their mixture of conversational and academic prose. The pages are packed full of big ideas (like the construction of aspects of race and ethnicity) that are substantiated with relatable examples but, like all the best lectures, the material is never dumbed‐down or over‐simplified. Instead it is delivered at such a pace that each big idea gets time to settle through demonstration before the next one arrives. Somehow, the tone is consistent all the way through despite the plurality of writers, and the even‐handed, authoritative essays are mindful to convey that much of the discourse on the subject is theoretical and developing. Dealing with potentially inflammatory subject matter, the sensitivity demonstrated is laudable, though some readers may tire of seeing so many key‐terms in defusing quotation marks.
The subject glossary is missing predictable entries covered in other books in the series, such as slavery and modernity, though the editors' acknowledgement of this seems characteristic of the academic rigour on display from start to finish. It makes up for these omissions with surprisingly astute coverage of less obvious areas such as rap music and manifest destiny. While some entries could perhaps have done with further subdivision (the other and multiculturalism are big topics to gloss) or been expanded into an outright essay, the “mini‐essay” form they take should stimulate readers towards the further reading suggested.
I hope this work appears on reading lists everywhere for degree courses and beyond in disciplines spanning the humanities and social sciences. I can see it being popular wherever it is shelved in a library, so I would suggest holding out for a robust paperback copy rather than the relatively flakey hardback copy reviewed.
Throughout, the book's entries evoke the image of their authors as the kind of “well‐liked, cool academic” archetype portrayed in countless campus comedies. It will be a shame if such real‐life academics do not get sick of the sight of citations to this book in their students' work. In a word: essential.
