Based on a 1995 conference at their Centre for the Study of Minorities and Social Change, the U. of Bristol editors explain sociology's rethinking of gender and ethnicity. The shift treats ethnicity more positively, e.g. as second-generation African and Asian diaspora women refuse to accept even feminist views of themselves and their cultures as inferior. In 11 papers related to gender, ethnicity, and economic disadvantage, and changes in institutions, the second generation, and identities, contributors analyze this reconceptualization and its methodological implications from case studies ranging from Punjabi families in the UK to gender identity in post-Soviet Latvia. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)