Author and editor of numerous books, most recently Making Americans: Immigration, Race, and the Origins of the Diverse Democracy, Desmond King is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of American Government and Professorial Fellow of Nuffield College at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of the British Academy.

"King provides an eye-opening account of how in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, a hierarchical categorization of races was part and parcel of the Progressive Movement...a valuable resource for historians and political scientists teaching courses on ethnic, racial, and mulitcultural relations...a valuable contribution by juxtaposing his narrative regarding group categories to the conventional one of individualism."--Perspectives on Politics

"The Liberty of Strangers is an incisive and significant contribution to the study of American identity. As important, it offers insights and perspectives on the problems and possibilities faced by all multiethnic democracies. It deserves an international readership." --Times Higher Education Supplement

"The Liberty of Strangers advances a major new interpretation of American nationalism and the future prospects for diverse democracies."--History Today