The study of racial and ethnic relations has become one of the most studied aspects in sociology and sociological research. In both North America and Europe, many “traditional” cultures are feeling threatened by immigrants from Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Sociology is at the hub of the human sciences concerned with racial and ethnic relations. Since this discipline is made of multiple paradigms and methodological orientations it has been able to make relevant contributions to disciplines ranging from individual psychology, social psychology, and psychiatry, to economics, anthropology, linguistics, cultural studies, health care delivery and education.