The papers collected in this volume are, with the exception of those of Jenkins and Solomos, revised versions of papers presented to a conference on Theories of Race and Ethnicity held at St Catherine's College, Oxford, between 19 and 23 March 1984. In convening the conference it had been the aim of Professor John Rex, then Director of the SSRC Research Unit on Ethnic Relations, to bring together in dialogue a number of eminent scholars representing a range of apparently competing theoretical traditions. Part of his object was to test whether there were points of convergence or continuity between theoretical standpoints which might usefully be explored and exploited to the benefit of the subject as a whole.

For a number of reasons, including the inability to attend of some of those originally invited, there is no sense in which the papers collected here can be said to represent every theoretical strand and tendency presently to be found in the field. Nevertheless, the following papers do present the work of a number of the most prolific and influential writers in the specialism. In so doing they raise, collectively and individually, a number of crucial and recurrent themes and points of controversy. It will be the purpose of this Introduction to identify and clarify some of these themes.