Sociological models have not generally guided the analysis of race and ethnic relations. This paper constitutes an attempt to alter this situation by assessing the relevance of the race cycle, consensus, interdependence and conflict frameworks for the construction of an explanation of the emergence, persistence, adaptation, and change of systems of ethnic differentiation. Although each of the frameworks has relevance for more than one of these empirical problems, it is concluded that the race cycle is most useful in explaining the emergence of ethnic differentiation, consensus is most useful vis-à-vis persistence, interdependence vis-à-vis adaptation, and conflict vis-à-vis change. A number of explanatory propositions are stated.