Ronald Takaki is professor of ethnic studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He has lectured in many countries, including Japan, Russia, Armenia, and South Africa. Professor Takaki has been on national television to discuss issues of race relations, the U.S. economy, relations with Japan, and multiculturalism. In 1992, Professor Takaki was invited by the Japanese Ministry of Education to visit Japan to meet policy makers, business leaders, educators, and scholars. His two-week itinerary included a one-hour interview on CNN Japan and a presentation on U.S./Japan relations to the Keidenran (Federation of Economic Organizations). Professor Takaki has advised Vice President Al Gore and also President Clinton on issues of race in American society. He is the author of Iron Cages: Race and Culture in 19th Century America, as well as A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America, which was hailed by Publishers's Weekly as "a brilliant revisionist history of America that is likely to become a classic of multicultural studies." He received his Ph.D. in American history from the University of California, Berkeley. Professor Takaki has received honorary doctorates from Wheelock College, the College of Wooster, and Macalester College.