There was a time when minority populations around the globe were often overlooked, their histories forgotten, their needs ignored. With globalization and conflict, social and political changes in the last decades has given rise to the need to understand the world's minorities, the diversity they represent, the challenges they face, the modes of coexistence that have evolved and the frictions that must be addressed. This resource is a three-volume, A-Z encyclopedia, with some 600 essay entries that provides a quick and clearly-written introduction to minority groups and the themes and concepts that help students understand the issues. Entries, ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 words, fall into four main categories for ease of use. Each entry is followed by a list of selected futher readings. The four categories are: Minority entries; Topic entries; Biographical entires; and Country entries.