This collection of Raymond Breton's essential writings highlights his work on French-English relations in Canada, examining the social origins of Quebec's Quiet Revolution, the different forms of English-Canadian and Quebec nationalism, the relationship between linguistic and regional divisions, and the dynamics of recurring constitutional crisis. Breton's writings on ethnic relations related to immigration consider the dynamics, political nature, and impact of immigrant ethnic communities and the origins of multiculturalism. He also explores the integration of immigrant ethnic communities across linguistic boundaries and the status of Aboriginal Canadians.

The introduction by Jeffrey Reitz focuses on the evolution of Breton's distinctive institutional framework, which both extends and in some ways alters John Porter's classic analysis in The Vertical Mosaic. Reitz shows how Breton's original concept of "institutional completeness" has been extended to provide a comprehensive framework for the institutional analysis of inter-ethnic relations, creating a unified theoretical structure that has reshaped the study of inter-ethnic relations in Canada and points toward a future research agenda.