Book Reviews
All International Migration Review (IMR) book reviews are available online through the Wiley Online Library. Book reviews published prior to 2015 are available in print and electronic formats. Book reviews published from 2015 on will be available online only. Book reviews can be downloaded for free for five years from the publication date of the book review.
Books and reports are selected for review by the IMR editors. The Book Review Editor identifies and extends invitations to potential reviewers of books and reports. IMR does not accept unsolicited book or report reviews.
Publishers may send books for review to the IMR Book Review Editor:
Jamie Winders
Associate Professor
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Department of Geography
144 Eggers Hall
The Maxwell School
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY 13244
Volume 53, Issue 4, Winter 2019
Book by Alice Bloch and Sonia McKay
Review by Liza Schuster
Living on the Margins: Undocumented Migrants in a Global City
Liza Schuster of the University of London reviews Living on the Margins: Undocumented Migrants in a Global City by Alice Bloch and Sonia McKay. Focusing on London-based migrants and their employers, Bloch and McKay expose the contradictions in policy and interactions among class, immigration hierarchies, and gender that operate within......
Book by Maris R. Thomspon
Review by Henrik Olav Mathiesen
Narratives of Immigration and Language Loss: Lessons from the German American Midwest
Henrik Olav Mathiesen of the University of Oslo reviews Narratives of Immigration and Language Loss: Lessons from the German American Midwest by Maris R. Thompson. This book examines narratives of anti-German sentiment and language loss from German American communities in southwestern, Illinois. During World War I and II, government sponsored......
Book by Kevin Thomas
Review by Adam Moore
Contract Workers, Risk, and the War in Iraq: Sierra Leonean Labor Migrants at US Military Bases
Adam Moore of the University of California, Los Angeles reviews Contract Workers, Risk, and the War in Iraq: Sierra Leonean Labor Migrants at US Military Bases by Kevin Thomas. In addressing why low-skilled workers in developing countries migrated to Iraq to support the US War on terror, Thomas provides a......
Book by Daniel Ghezelbash
Review by Cynthia S. Gorman
Refuge Lost: Asylum Law in an Interdependent World
Cynthia S. Gorman of West Virginia University reviews Refuge Lost: Asylum Law in an Interdependent World by Daniel Ghezelbash. As Europe deals with a so-called ‘refugee crisis,’ Australia’s harsh border control policies have been suggested as a possible model for Europe to copy. Key measures of this system such as......
Volume 53, Issue 3, Fall 2019
Book by Miroslava Chávez-García
Review by Martin Lopez-Galicia
Migrant Longing: Letter Writing across the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands
Martin Lopez-Galicia of Syracuse University reviews Migrant Longing: Letter Writing across the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands by Miroslava Chávez-García. To examine how migrants navigate gender, culture, society, law, and the economy, Chávez-García draws upon a personal collection of more than 300 letters exchanged between her parents and other family members across the......
Book by Cinzia D. Solari
Review by Alexander Tymczuk
On the Shoulders of Grandmothers: Gender, Migration, and Post-Soviet Nation-State Building
Alexander Tymczuk of the University of Oslo reviews On the Shoulders of Grandmothers: Gender, Migration, and Post-Soviet Nation-State Building by Cinzia D Solari. Using in-depth interviews and ethnographic data collected in three countries, Solari shows that Ukrainian nation-state building occurs transnationally. She examines the collective practices of migrants who are......
Book by Phuong Tran Nguyen
Review by Mai-Linh K. Hong
Becoming Refugee American: The Politics of Rescue in Little Saigon
Mai-Linh K. Hong of Bucknell University reviews Becoming Refugee American: The Politics of Rescue in Little Saigon by Phuong Tran Nguyen. To study how one group of refugees cultivated resources, acceptance, and new social identities in resettlement, Phuong Tran Nguyen examines the phenomenon of refugee nationalism among Vietnamese Americans in......
Book by Onoso Imoagene
Review by Amon Emeka
Beyond Expectations: Second-Generation Nigerians in the United States and Britain
Amon Emeka of Skidmore College reviews Beyond Expectations: Second-Generation Nigerians in the United States and Britain by Onoso Imoagene. Imoagene delves into the multifaceted identities of second-generation Nigerian adults in the United States and Britain. She argues that they conceive of an alternative notion of “black” identity that differs radically......
Volume 53, Issue 2, Summer 2019
Book by Caress Schenk
Reviewed by Natalia Zotova
Why Control Immigration? Strategic Uses of Migration Management in Russia
Natalia Zotova of Ohio State University reviews Why Control Immigration? Strategic Uses of Migration Management in Russia by Caress Schenk. In the new book from the University of Toronto Press, Caress Schenk explores migration management in Russia as a window into how public policy, the federal system, and patronage are......
Book by Janelle S. Wong
Reviewed by Grace Yukich, Quinnipiac University
Immigrants, Evangelicals, and Politics in an Era of Demographic Change
Grace Yukich of Quinnipiac University reviews Immigrants, Evangelicals, and Politics in an Era of Demographic Change by Janelle S. Wong. Janelle S. Wong examines how immigration from Asia and Latin America reshapes the demographic composition of the U.S. While some analysts have anticipated the decline of conservative white evangelicals’ influence in......
Book by Susanna Rosenbaum
Review by Rhacel Salazar Parreñas.
Domestic Economies: Women, Work and the American Dream in Los Angeles
Rhacel Salazar Parreñas of the University of Southern California reviews Domestic Economies: Women, Work and the American Dream in Los Angeles by Susanna Rosenbaum. Rosenbaum examines how two groups of women—Mexican and Central American domestic workers and the predominantly white, middle-class women who employ them—seek to achieve the “American Dream.”......
Book by Ala Sirriyeh
Reviewed by Steven W. Bender
The Politics of Compassion: Immigration and Asylum Policy
Steven W. Bender of Seattle University School of Law reviews The Politics of Compassion: Immigration and Asylum Policy by Ala Sirriyeh. Addressing questions of loss, (be)longing, fears of an immigration ‘invasion’ or perceived injustices in immigration policies, Sirriyeh explores how immigration debates are infused with strong emotions. Sirriyeh argues that......
Volume 53, Issue 1, Spring 2019
Book by Philip Martin, University of California, Davis
Reviewed by David McCollum, University of St Andrews
Merchants of Labor: Recruiters and International Labor Migration
David McCollum of University of St Andrews reviews Merchants of Labor: Recruiters and International Labor Migration by Philip Martin. Philip Martin presents merchants of labor as the intermediary recruiters between workers in one country and employers in another. They have a checkered history, often associated with trickery or coercion to fill......
Book by Cynthia Cockburn, University of Warwick, and City University London
Reviewed by Elena Vacchelli, University of Greenwich
Looking to London: Stories of War, Escape and Asylum
Elena Vacchelli of University of Greenwich reviews Looking to London: Stories of War, Escape and Asylum by Cynthia Cockburn. Cynthia Cockburn discusses how London is celebrated as one of the most ethnically diverse capitals in the world and has been a magnet for migration since its founding. In Looking to London, Cynthia......
Book by Emmanuel Comte, Vienna School of International Studies
Reviewed by Maria Chiara Vinciguerra, University of Cambridge
The History of the European Migration Regime: Germany’s Strategic Hegemony
Maria Chiara Vinciguerra of University of Cambridge reviews The History of the European Migration Regime: Germany’s Strategic Hegemony by Emmanuel Comte. Emmanuel Comte describes the international migration regime in Europe after the second world war, which took a course different from the global migration regime and the migration regimes in other regions......
Book by Mary Crock, Laura Smith-Khan, Ron McCallum and Ben Saul, Sydney Law School, The University of Sydney, Australia
Reviewed by Mansha Mirza, University of Illinois at Chicago
The Legal Protection of Refugees with Disabilities: Forgotten and Invisible?
Mansha Mirza of the University of Illinois at Chicago reviews The Legal Protection of Refugees with Disabilities: Forgotten and Invisible? by Mary Crock, Laura Smith-Khan, Ron McCallum and Ben Saul. Mary Crock, Laura Smith-Khan, Ron McCallum and Ben Saul focus on the ‘forgotten refugees’, detailing people with disabilities who have crossed......
Book by Andrew Urban, Rutgers University
Reviewed by Stephanie Hinnershitz, Cleveland State University
Brokering Servitude: Migration and the Politics of Domestic Labor during the Long Nineteenth Century
Stephanie Hinnershitz of Cleveland State University reviews Brokering Servitude: Migration and the Politics of Domestic Labor during the Long Nineteenth Century by Andrew Urban. Andrew Urban offers a history of domestic servants, focusing on how Irish immigrant women, Chinese immigrant men, and American-born black women navigated the domestic labor market in......
Book by Dinah Hannaford, Texas A&M University
Reviewed by María Hernández-Carretero, University of Olso
Marriage Without Borders: Transnational Spouses in Neoliberal Senegal
María Hernández-Carretero of University of Olso reviews Marriage Without Borders Transnational Spouses in Neoliberal Senegal by Dinah Hannaford. Dinah Hannaford writes a multi-sited study of Senegalese migration and marriage that showcases contemporary changes in kinship practices across the globe engendered by the neoliberal demand for mobility and flexibility. Based on ten years of ethnographic research......
Volume 52, Issue 4, Winter 2018
Book by Julian Lim, Arizona State University
Reviewed by Emmanuel Frimpong Boamah, University at Buffalo, State University of New York
Porous Borders: Multiracial Migrations and the Law in the US-Mexico Borderlands
Emmanuel Frimpong Boamah of University at Buffalo, State University of New York reviews Porous Borders: Multiracial Migrations and the Law in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands by Julian Lim. Julian Lim presents a fresh study of the multiracial intersections of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, where diverse peoples crossed multiple boundaries in search of......
Book by Martha Donkor, West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Reviewed by Cati Coe, Rutgers University
The Experiences of Ghanaian Live-In Caregivers in the United States
Cati Coe of Rutgers University reviews The Experiences of Ghanaian Live-In Caregivers in the United States by Martha Donkor. Martha Donkor examines the migration of the women to the US and their decisions to care for upper middle class white seniors who elected to stay in their homes to be......
Volume 52, Issue 3, Fall 2018
Book by Eric J. Pido, San Fransisco State University
Reviewed by Armand Gutierrez, University of California, San Diego
Migrant Returns: Manila, Development, and Transnational Connectivity
Armand Gutierrez of the University of California, San Diego reviews Migrant Returns: Manila, Development, and Transnational Connectivity by Eric J. Pido. Eric J. Pido examines the complicated relationship among the Philippine economy, Manila’s urban development, and balikbayans—Filipino migrants visiting or returning to their homeland—to reconceptualize migration as a process of connectivity. Focusing on......
Book by Fernando Saúl Alanís Enciso, El Colegio de San Luis
Reviewed by Adam Goodman, University of Illinois at Chicago
Voces de la Repatriación: La Sociedad Mexicana y la Repatriación de Mexicanos de Estados Unidos 1930-1933
Adam Goodman of the University of Illinois at Chicago reviews Voces de la Repatriación: La Sociedad Mexicana y la Repatriación de Mexicanos de Estados Unidos 1930-1933 by Fernando Saúl Alanís Enciso. Fernando Saúl Alanís Enciso examines the actions, ideas and perspectives that were produced by the arrival of a larger number of people......
Book by Leo R. Chavez, University of California, Irvine
Reviewed by Joon K. Kim, Colorado State University
Anchor Babies and the Challenge of Birthright Citizenship
Joon K. Kim of Colorado State University reviews Anchor Babies and the Challenge of Birthright Citizenship by Leo R. Chavez. Leo R. Chavez explores the deep and contentious history of birthright citizenship in the United States. A history that is often hard to square in a country that prides itself on being “a......
Book by Prema A. Kurien, Syracuse University
Reviewed by Pawan Dhingra, Amherst College
Ethnic Church Meets Megachurch: Indian American Christianity in Motion
Pawan Dhingra of Amherst College reviews Ethnic Church Meets Megachurch: Indian American Christianity in Motion by Prema A. Kurien. Prema A. Kurien traces the religious adaptation of members of an important Indian Christian church– the Mar Thoma denomination – as they make their way in the United States. The author exposes how a new paradigm......
Volume 52, Issue 2, Summer 2018
Book by Mark J. VanLandingham, Tulane University
Reviewed by Allison Truitt, Tulane University
Weathering Katrina: Culture and Recovery among Vietnamese Americans
Book by John Wennersten, Denise Robbins
Reviewed by Andrew Baldwin, Durham University
Rising Tides: Climate Refugees in the Twenty-first Century
Andrew Baldwin of Durham University reviews Rising Tides: Climate Refugees in the Twenty-first Century by John Wennersten and Denise Robbins. John Wennersten and Denise Robbins examine the links between global climate change and global refugee crises. The authors argue that climate change is with us and we need to think about the......
Book by Kristy A. Belton
Reviewed by Tendayi Bloom, The Open University
Statelessness in the Caribbean: The Paradox of Belonging in a Postnational World
Tendayi Bloom of The Open University reviews Statelessness in the Caribbean: The Paradox of Belonging in a Postnational World by Kristy A. Belton. Kristy A. Belton argues for the reconceptualization of statelessness as a form of forced displacement by drawing on an analysis of statelessness in the Caribbean. She argues that the stateless—those......
Book by Margaret E. Peters, University of California, Los Angeles
Reviewed by Erica Consterdine, University of Sussex
Trading Barriers: Immigration and the Remaking of Globalization
Erica Consterdine of University of Sussex reviews Trading Barriers: Immigration and the Remaking of Globalization by Margaret E. Peters. Margaret E. Peters argues that the increased ability of firms to produce anywhere in the world combined with growing international competition due to lowered trade barriers has led to greater limits on immigration. Peters explains......
Volume 52, Issue 1, Spring 2018
Book by Chris Haynes, University of New Haven; Jennifer Merolla, University of California, Riverside; and S. Karthick Ramakrishnan, University of California, Riverside
Reviewed by Yamil Ricardo Velez, Wesleyan University
Framing Immigrants: New Coverage, Public Opinion, and Policy
Yamil Ricardo Velez of Wesleyan University reviews Framing Immigrants: New Coverage, Public Opinion, and Policy, by Christopher Haynes, Jennifer Merolla, and Karthick Ramakrishnan. Christopher Haynes, Jennifer Merolla, and Karthick Ramakrishnan analyze media coverage of several key immigration policy issues—including mass deportations, comprehensive immigration reform, and measures focused on immigrant children, such as the DREAM......
Book by Irial Glynn, Leiden University
Reviewed by Josh Watkins, Texas A&M University
Asylum Policy, Boat People and Political Discourse: Boats, Votes and Asylum in Australia and Italy
Josh Watkins of Texas A&M University reviews Asylum Policy, Boat People and Political Discourse: Boats, Votes and Asylum in Australia and Italy by Irial Glynn. Irial Glynn compares the policies of Australia and Italy towards boat people who have arrived in the two countries since the early 1990s. While the regular and varied......
Book by Annemarie Steidl, University of Vienna; Wladimir Fischer-Nebmaier, University of Vienna; and James W. Oberly, University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire
Reviewed by Nándor F. Dreisziger, Royal Military College of Canada
From a Multiethnic Empire to a Nation of Nations: Austro-Hungarian Migrants in the US, 1870-1940
Nándor F. Dreisziger of the Royal Military College of Canada reviews From a Multiethnic Empire to a Nation of Nations: Austro-Hungarian Migrants in the US, 1870-1940 by Annemarie Steidl, Wladimir Fischer-Nebmaier, and James W. Oberly. Annemarie Steidl, Wladimir Fischer-Nebmaier, and James W. Oberly describe the transatlantic experience of migrants from Imperial Austria and the Kingdom......
Book by Sarah Gallo, Ohio State University
Reviewed by Adrienne Lee Atterberry, Syracuse University
Mi Padre: Mexican Immigrant Fathers and Their Children’s Education
Adrienne Lee Atterberry of Syracuse University reviews Mi Padre: Mexican Immigrant Fathers and Their Children’s Education by Sarah Gallo. Sarah Gallo examines the promise of parent involvement practices that build upon the range of linguistic and sociocultural resources that Latin@ immigrant students and their families bring to school. Through the experiences of Mexican immigrant fathers......
Volume 51, Issue 4, Winter 2017
Book by Itamar Mann, University of Haifa Faculty of Law
Reviewed by Nevena Nancheva, Kingston University London
Humanity at Sea: Maritime Migration and the Foundations of International Law
Nevena Nancheva of Kingston University London reviews Humanity at Sea: Maritime Migration and the Foundations of International Law, by Itamar Mann. Itamar Mann’s interdisciplinary study engages law, history, and political theory in a first attempt to crystallize the lessons the global ‘refugee crisis’ can teach us about the nature of international......
Book by Nancy Raquel Mirabal, University of Maryland
Reviewed by Susan D. Greenbaum, University of South Florida
Suspect Freedoms: The Racial and Sexual Politics of Cubanidad in New York, 1823– 1957
Susan D. Greenbaum of University of South Florida reviews Suspect Freedoms: The Racial and Sexual Politics of Cubanidad in New York, 1823– 1957, by Nancy Raquel Mirabal. Nancy Raquel Mirabal explores Cuban racial and sexual politics in New York during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. She delves into the rich cache of......
Book by Beata Switek, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology
Reviewed by Maria Rosario Piquero-Ballescas, Toyo University
Reluctant Intimacies: Japanese Eldercare in Indonesian Hands
Maria Rosario Piquero-Ballescas of Toyo University reviews Reluctant Intimacies: Japanese Eldercare in Indonesian Hands, by Beata Switek. Beata Switek draws on seventeen months of ethnographic research among Indonesian eldercare workers in Japan and Indonesia. This book is the first ethnography to research Indonesian care workers’ relationships with the cared-for elderly, their......
Book by Patrisia Macías-Rojas, University of Illinois at Chicago
Reviewed by Tanya Golash-Boza, University of California, Merced
From Deportation to Prison: The Politics of Immigration Enforcement in Post-Civil Rights America
Tanya Golash-Boza of University of California, Merced reviews From Deportation to Prison: The Politics of Immigration Enforcement in Post-Civil Rights America, by Patrisia Macías-Rojas. Professor Patrisia Macías-Rojas unpacks how the incarceration of over two million people in the United States gave impetus to a federal immigration initiative—The Criminal Alien Program (CAP)—designed to purge non-citizens......
Book by Jamie Longazel, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Reviewed by Pablo Bose, University of Vermont
Undocumented Fears: Immigration and the Politics of Divide and Conquer in Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Pablo Bose of University of Vermont reviews Undocumented Fears: Immigration and the Politics of Divide and Conquer in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, by Jamie Longazel. Professor Longazel uses the debate around Hazleton’s controversial Illegal Immigration Relief Act (IIRA) ordinance as a case study that reveals the mechanics of contemporary divide and conquer politics. He shows......
Book by Christian Joppke, University of Bern
Reviewed by Patrick Imbert, University of Ottawa
Is Multiculturalism Dead?
Patrick Imbert of University of Ottawa reviews Is Multiculturalism Dead? by Christian Joppke. Professor Christian Joppke examines the different meanings multiculturalism has acquired across theories, countries, and domains to evaluate the extent of its demise and the ways in which it lives on. He intriguingly argues that, beyond the ebb and......
Book by Melanie Baak, University of South Australia
Reviewed by Katarzyna Grabska, The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
Negotiating Belongings: Stories of Forced Migration of Dinka Women from South Sudan
Katarzyna Grabska of The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies reviews Negotiating Belongings: Stories of Forced Migration of Dinka Women from South Sudan, by Melanie Baak. Melanie Baak utilizes narrative, ethnographic and autoethnographic approaches to explore the negotiations for belonging for six women from Dinka communities originating in southern Sudan. She......
Book by Stephen R. Porter, University of Cincinnati
Reviewed by Lisa Bhungalia, Kent State University
Benevolent Empire: US Power, Humanitarianism, and the World’s Dispossessed
Lisa Bhungalia of Kent State University reviews Benevolent Empire: US Power, Humanitarianism, and the World’s Dispossessed, by Stephen R. Porter. Professor R. Porter examines political-refugee aid initiatives and related humanitarian endeavors led by American people and institutions from World War I through the Cold War, opening an important window onto the “short......
Volume 51, Issue 3, Fall 2017
Book by Michel Agier, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
Reviewed by Luciano Baracco, Middle East Technical University Northern Cyprus Campus
Borderlands: Towards an Anthropology of the Cosmopolitan Condition
Luciano Baracco of Middle East Technical University Northern Cyprus Campus reviews Borderlands: Towards an Anthropology of the Cosmopolitan Condition, by Michel Agier. Anthropologist Michel Agier’s book examines the character of the borderlands that emerge on the margins of nation-states. Drawing on his ethnographic fieldwork, he shows that borders, far from disappearing, have acquired a new kind of......
Book by Jon K. Chang
Reviewed by Zachary M. Adamz, University of Texas at Austin
Burnt by the Sun: The Koreans of the Russian Far East
Zachary M. Adamz of University of Texas at Austin reviews Burnt by the Sun, by Jon K. Chang. Dr. Jon K. Chang’s examines the history of the first Korean diaspora in a Western society during the highly tense geopolitical atmosphere of the Soviet Union in the late 1930s. Demonstrating that the Koreans of the......
Book by Joseph Hodes, Texas Tech University
Reviewed by Ella Fratantuono, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
From India to Israel: Identity, Immigration, and the Struggle for Religious Equality
Ella Fratantuono of University of North Carolina at Charlotte reviews From India to Israel: Identity, Immigration, and the Struggle for Religious Equality, by Joseph Hodes. Professor Hodes examines Israel’s first decades through the perspective of an Indian Jewish community, the Bene Israel, who would go on to play an important role in the......
Book by Sara L. McKinnon, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Reviewed by Stefan Vogler, Northwestern University
Gendered Asylum: Race and Violence in U.S. Law and Politics
Stefan Vogler of Northwestern University reviews Gendered Asylum: Race and Violence in U.S. Law and Politics, by Sara L. McKinnon. Professor McKinnon exposes racialized rhetorics of violence in politics and charts the development of gender as a category in American asylum law. Starting with the late 1980s, when gender-based requests first emerged in......
Book by Leah Schmalzbauer, Amherst College
Reviewed by J. Dwight Hines, Point Park University
The Last Best Place? Gender, Family and Migration in the New West
J. Dwight Hines of Point Park University reviews The Last Best Place? by Leah Schmalzbaue. Professor Schmalzbaue explores the multiple racial and class-related barriers that Mexican migrants must negotiate in the unique context of Montana’s rural gentrification. These daily life struggles and inter-group power dynamics are deftly examined through extensive interviews and ethnography, as......
Book by Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg, Carleton College
Review by Valentina Mazzucato, Maastricht University
Mothers on the Move: Reproducing Belonging between Africa and Europe
Valentina Mazzucato of Maastricht University reviews Mothers on the Move: Reproducing Belonging between Africa and Europe, by Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg. Professor Feldman-Savelsberg takes readers back and forth between Cameroon and Germany to explore how migrant mothers—through the careful and at times difficult management of relationships—juggle belonging in multiple places at once: their......
Book by Natasha King
Reviewed by Mario Bruzzone, University of Wisconsin-Madison
No Borders: The Politics of Immigration Control and Resistance
Mario Bruzzone of University of Wisconsin-Madison reviews No Borders: The Politics of Immigration Control and Resistance, by Natasha King. Dr. King draws on extensive research in Greece and Calais, as well as a decade campaigning for migrant rights, exploring the different forms of activism that have emerged in the struggle against border controls,......
Book by Elizabeth Holzer, University of Connecticut
Reviewed by Elisabeth Olivius, Umeå University
The Ideal Refugees: Gender, Islam, and the Sahrawi Politics of Survival : The Concerned Women of Buduburam: Refugee Activists and Humanitarian Dilemmas
Elisabeth Olivius of Umeå University reviews The Ideal Refugees: Gender, Islam, and the Sahrawi Politics of Survival : The Concerned Women of Buduburam: Refugee Activists and Humanitarian Dilemmas, by Elizabeth Holzer. Dr. Holzer draws on fifteen months of ethnographic fieldwork in Ghana and subsequent interviews with participants now returned to Liberia, Holzer exposes a......
Volume 51, Issue 2, Summer 2017
Book by Kelvin E.Y. Low, National University of Singapore
Reviewed by Hamzah Muzaini, National University of Singapore
Remembering the Samsui Women: Migration and Social Memory in Singapore and China
Hamzah Muzaini of the National University of Singapore reviews Remembering the Samsui Women: Migration and Social Memory in Singapore and China, by Kelvin E.Y. Low. Professor Low explores the lives and legacy of the Samsui women, both through media and state representations and through the oral histories of the women themselves.......
Book by Daniel Nilsson DeHanas, Kings College London
Reviewed by Soulit Chacko, Loyola University, Chicago
London Youth, Religion, and Politics: Engagement and Activism from Brixton to Brick Lane
Soulit Chack of Loyola University, Chicago reviews London Youth, Religion, and Politics: Engagement and Activism from Brixton to Brick Lane, by Daniel Nilsson DeHanas. Dr. Nilsson DeHanas’ study focuses on young adults of immigrant parents in two inner-city London areas: the East End and Brixton. He concerns the role of religion......
Book by Hae Yeon Choo, University of Toronto
Reviewed by Helene K. Lee, Dickinson College
Decentering Citizenship: Gender, Labor, and Migrant Rights in South Korea
Helene K. Lee of Dickinson College reviews Decentering Citizenship: Gender, Labor, and Migrant Rights in South Korea, by Hae Yeon Choo. Professor Choo follows three groups of Filipina migrants’ struggles to belong in South Korea: factory workers claiming rights as workers, wives of South Korean men claiming rights as mothers, and......
Book by Ines Hasselberg, University of Oxford
Reviewed by Bridget Holtom, University of Glasgow
Enduring Uncertainty: Deportation, Punishment and Everyday Life
Bridget Holtom of the University of Glasgow reviews Enduring Uncertainty: Deportation, Punishment and Everyday Life, by Ines Hasselberg. Dr. Hasselberg focuses on the lived experience of immigration policy and processes, and provides insights into the deportation process as it is felt and understood by those subjected to it. She presents an......
Book by Christl Kessler and Stefan Rother, Albert Ludwigs University.
Reviewed by M. Scott Solomon, University of South Florid
Democratization through Migration? Political Remittances and Participation of Philippine
M. Scott Solomon of the University of South Florida reviews Democratization through Migration? Political Remittances and Participation of Philippine Return Migrants, by Christl Kessler and Stefan Rother of Albert Ludwigs University. Kessler and Rother discuss whether labor migration can affect democratization processes and what impact the political order of the host country has on......
Book by Laura Madokoro, McGill University
Reviewed by Meredith Oyen, University of Maryland
Elusive Refuge: Chinese Migrants in the Cold War
Meredith Oyen of the University of Maryland reviews Elusive Refuge: Chinese Migrants in the Cold War, by Laura Madokoro. Professor Madokoro recovers the history of China’s twentieth-century refugees. Focusing on humanitarian efforts to find new homes for Chinese displaced by civil strife, she points out a constellation of factors—entrenched bigotry in countries originally settled......
Book by Anna Boucher, University of Sydney
Reviewed by Abdeslam Marfouk, University of Liege and IWEPS
Gender, Migration and the Global Race for Talent
Abdeslam Marfouk of the University of Liege and IWEPS reviews Gender, Migration and the Global Race for Talent, by Anna Boucher. Dr. Boucher describes a global race for skilled immigrants that seeks to attract the best global workers. In the pursuit of these individuals, governments may incidentally discriminate on gender......
Book by Marjorie S. Zatz, University of California; and Nancy Rodriguez, Arizona State University
Reviewed by Lisa M. Martinez, University of Denver
Dreams and Nightmares: Immigration Policy, Youth, and Families
Lisa M. Martinez of the University of Denver reviews Dreams and Nightmares, by Marjorie S. Zatz and Nancy Rodriguez. Authors Zats and Rodriguez look at the challenges and dilemmas of immigration policy and practice in the absence of comprehensive immigration reform. The experiences of children and youth provide a prism......
Volume 51, Issue 1, Spring 2017
Book by Jacqueline Hagan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Ruben Hernandez-Leon, University of California, Los Angeles; and Jean-Luc Demonsant, Toulouse School of Economics
Reviewed by Jennifer A. Jones, University of Notre Dame
Skills of the “Unskilled”: Work and Mobility among Mexican Migrants
Jennifer A. Jones of the University of Notre Dame reviews Skills of the “Unskilled”: Work and Mobility among Mexican Migrants, by Jacqueline Hagan, Ruben Hernandez-Leon, and Jean-Luc Demonsant. Despite the value of migrants’ work experiences and the substantial technical and interpersonal skills developed throughout their lives, the labor-market contributions of these migrants are often overlooked......
Book by Peter J. Spiro, Temple Law School.
Reviewed by Nikola Mirilovic, University of Central Florida
At Home at Two Countries: The Past and Future of Dual Citizenship
Nikola Mirilovic of University of Central Florida reviews At Home at Two Countries: The Past and Future of Dual Citizenship by Peter J. Spiro. At Home in Two Countries charts the history of dual citizenship from strong disfavor to general acceptance. The status has touched many; there are few Americans who do not have......
Book by Susan Bibler Coutin, University of Oxford
Reviewed by Sonja Wolf, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, Mexico City
Exiled Home: Salvadoran Transnational Youth in the Aftermath of Violence
Sonja Wolf of the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas in Mexico City, reviews Exiled Home: Salvadoran Transnational Youth in the Aftermath of Violence, by Susan Bibler Coutin. Coutin recounts the experiences of Salvadoran children who migrated with their families to the United States during the 1980–1992 civil war. Because of their youth......
Book by Tara Zahra, University of Chicago
Reviewed by Eli Lederhendler, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Great Departure: Mass Migration from Eastern Europe and the Making of the Free World
Eli Lederhendler of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem reviews The Great Departure: Mass Migration from Eastern Europe and the Making of the Free World by Tara Zahra. Between 1846 and 1940, more than 50 million Europeans moved to the Americas, irrevocably changing both their new homes and the ones they left behind.......
Book by Thomas Lacroix, University of Poitiers
Reviewed by Martin Evans, University of Chester
Hometown Transnationalism: Long Distance Villageness among Indian Punjabis and North African Berbers
Martin Evans of the University of Chester reviews Hometown Transnationalism: Long Distance Villageness among Indian Punjabis and North African Berbers by Thomas Lacroix. Collective remittances, that is to say development initiatives carried out by immigrant groups for the benefit of their place of origin, have been attracting growing attention from both academics and......
Book by Roberto G. Gonzales, Harvard University Graduate School of Education
Reviewed by Fanny Lauby, William Paterson University
Lives in Limbo: Undocumented and Coming of Age in America
Fanny Lauby of William Paterson University, reviews Lives in Limbo: Undocumented and Coming of Age in America by Roberto G. Gonzales. This vivid ethnography explores why highly educated undocumented youth share similar work and life outcomes with their less-educated peers, despite the fact that higher education is touted as the path to......
Book by Linda McDowell. Oxford University
Reviewed by Karen Fog Olwig, University of Copenhagen
Migrant Women’s Voices. Talking About Life and Work in the UK Since 1945
Karen Fog Olwig, of the University of Copenhagen reviews Migrant Women’s Voices by Linda McDowell. This book presents a collection of stories of migrant women, working in factories and hospitals, banks, care homes, shops and universities over a period of 60 years. During the post-war period, Britain became a multi-cultural society and waged work the norm for......
Book by David Miller, Nuffield College at the University of Oxford
Reviewed by David Owen, University of Southampton
Strangers in Our Midst: The Political Philosophy of Immigration
David Owen of the University of Southampton reviews Strangers in Our Midst: The Political Philosophy of Immigration by David Miller. In his book, Miller defends the right of democratic states to control their borders and decide upon the future size, shape, and cultural make-up of their populations. Read the book review at https://doi.org/10.1111/imre.12323.........
Volume 50, Issue 4, Winter 2016
Book by Gregory Feldman, School for International Studies at Simon Fraser University
Reviewed by Patti Tamara Lenard, University of Ottawa
We Are All Migrants: Political Action and the Ubiquitous Condition of Migrant-hood
Dr. Patti Tamara Lenard of University of Ottawa reviews We Are All Migrants: Political Action and the Ubiquitous Condition of Migrant-hood, by Gregory Feldman. By challenging the division between those considered “citizens” and “migrants,” David Feldman shows that both subjects confront disempowerment, uncertainty, and atomization inseparable from the rise of mass society,......
Book by Regine Paul, University of Bielefeld
Reviewed by Eeva-Kaisa Prokkola, University of Oulu
The Political Economy of Border Drawing: Arranging Legality in European Labor Migration Policies
Eeva-Kaisa Prokkola of the University of Oulu reviews The Political Economy of Border Drawing: Arranging Legality in European Labor Migration Policies by Regine Paul. The conditions for non-EU migrant workers to gain legal entry to Britain, France, and Germany are at the same time similar and quite different. To explain this variation, this......
Book by Nancy L. Green, École des hautes études en sciences sociales
Reviewed by Miles Reding, University of Oregon
The Other Americans in Paris: Businessmen, Countesses, Wayward Youth, 1880–1941
Miles Reding, of the University of Oregon, reviews The Other Americans in Paris: Businessmen, Countesses, Wayward Youth, 1880–1941 by Nancy L. Green. In her book, Green thus introduces us for the first time to a long-forgotten part of the American overseas population—predecessors to today’s expats—while exploring the politics of citizenship......
Book by Shuang Liu, University of Queensland
Reviewed by Dominic Meng-Hsuan Yang, University of Missouri–Columbia
Identity, Hybridity, and Cultural Home: Chinese Migrants and Diaspora in Multicultural Societies
Dominic Meng-Hsuan Yang of the University of Missouri–Columbia reviews Identity, Hybridity, and Cultural Home: Chinese Migrants and Diaspora in Multicultural Societies, by Shuang Liu. This book explores the multifaceted concept of cultural identity to uncover the meaning of cultural home for Chinese immigrants in multicultural environments. It questions the conventional notion of a......
Book by Maurizio Albahari, University of Notre Dame
Reviewed by Sabina Perrino, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Crimes of Peace: Mediterranean Migrations at the World’s Deadliest Border
Sabina Perrino of Binghamton University reviews Crimes of Peace: Mediterranean Migrations at the World’s Deadliest Border by Maurizio Albahari. In Crimes of Peace, Albahari investigates why the Mediterranean Sea is the world’s deadliest border, and what alternatives could improve this state of affairs. He also examines the dismal conditions of migrants in transit......
Book by Wen-Chin Chang, Center for Asia-Pacific Area Studies, RCHSS, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
Reviewed by Hiu Ling Chan, Leiden University Institute for Area Studies
Beyond Borders: Stories of Yunnanese Chinese Migrants of Burma
Hiu Ling Chan of Leiden University Institute for Area Studies reviews Beyond Borders: Stories of Yunnanese Chinese Migrants of Burma by Wen-Chin Chang. Since the Chinese Communist takeover in 1949 and subsequent political upheavals in China, an unprecedented number of Yunnanese refugees have fled to Burma. Through a personal narrative approach, Beyond......
Book by Tom K. Wong, University of California, San Diego
Reviewed by Gaja Maestri, Durham University
Rights, Deportation, and Detention in the Age of Immigration Control
Gaja Maestri of Durham University reviews Rights, Deportation, and Detention in the Age of Immigration Control by Tom K. Wong. This book examines what are arguably the most contested and dynamic immigration policies immigration control across 25 immigrant-receiving countries, including the U.S. and most of the European Union. The book addresses head on......
Book by Ayten Gündoğu
Reviewed by Lauren Martin, University of Oulu
Rightlessness in an Age of Rights: Hannah Arendt and the Contemporary Struggles of Migrants
Lauren Martin of the University of Oulu reviews Rightlessness in an Age of Rights: Hannah Arendt and the Contemporary Struggles of Migrants by Ayten Gündoğu. Human rights promise equal personhood regardless of citizenship status, yet their existing formulations are tied to the principle of territorial sovereignty. This situation leaves various categories of......
Volume 50, Issue 3, Fall 2016
Book by Bi-Wook Shin and Joon Nak Choi, Stanford University
Reviewed by Keumjae Park, William Patterson University
Global Talent: Skilled Labor as Social Capital in Korea
Keumjae Park of William Patterson University reviews Global Talent: Skilled Labor as Social Capital in Korea, by Bi-Wook Shin and Joon Nak Choi. The book examines how South Korea can work against its impending “brain drain” crisis by exploring four different groups of “global talent” that South Korea can engage to resolve this......
Book by Tiffany D. Joseph, PH.D., Stony Brook University
Reviewed by Nadia Y. Kim, Loyola Marymount University
Race on the Move: Brazilian Migrants and the Global Reconstruction of Race
Nadia Y. Kim of Loyola Marymount University reviews Race on the Move: Brazilian Migrants and the Global Reconstruction of Race, by Tiffany D. Joseph. This book fills a void in the research, providing much needed scholarship on race and return migration among first generation migrants. Focusing on Brazilian return migrants who have spent......
Book by Denise Brennan, Georgetown University
Reviewed by Sverre Molland, Australian National University
Life Interrupted: Trafficking into Forced Labor in the United States
Sverre Molland of Australian National University reviews Life Interrupted: Trafficking into Forced Labor in the United States, by Denise Brennan. Taking a long-term perspective, the book blends academic scholarship and activist research by delving into the lives of trafficked victims, exploring their worlds after anti-trafficking assistance. The author’s research explores......
Book by Nicole Constable, University of Pittsburgh
Reviewed by Maria Platt, National University of Singapore
Born Out of Place: Migrant Mothers and the Politics of International Labor
Maria Platt of the National University of Singapore reviews Born Out of Place: Migrant Mothers and the Politics of International Labor, by Nicole Constable. Broadening the discussion surrounding transnational mothering and family life, this book focuses specifically on domestic workers in Hong Kong who are navigating both their ambivalent legal......
Book by Julie Weise, University of Oregon
Reviewed by Mark Overmyer-Velázquez, University of Connecticut
Corazón de Dixie: Mexicanos in the U.S. South Since 1910
Mark Overmyer-Velázquez reviews Corazón de Dixie: Mexicanos in the U.S. South Since 1910, by Julie Weise. The author argues that the narrative of a recent flux of Mexican migrants shifting the demographic profile of the southern United States is historically inaccurate. This book points to a long and complex history......
Book by Tanya Maria Golash-Boza, University of California, Merced
Reviewed by Richard Velazquez, University of California, Berkeley
Deported: Immigrant Policing, Disposable Labor, and Global Capitalism
Richard Velasquez reviews Deported: Immigrant Policing, Disposable Labor, and Global Capitalism, by Tanya Maria Golash-Boza. Based on the author’s interviews with 147 deportees from Guatemala, Jamaica, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic, the author connects economic restructuring, migration, race, class, and militarization to contemporary capitalism. Additionally in this book, the author explores......
Book by Cawo Abdi, University of Minnesota
Reviewed by Beatrice Akua-Sakyiwah, The University of York
Elusive Jannah: The Somali Diaspora and a Borderless Muslim Identity
Beatrice Akua-Sakyiwah reviews Elusive Jannah: The Somali Diaspora and a Borderless Muslim Identity, by Cawo Abdi. The book presents the sociopolitical, economic, cultural, and religious issues faced by Somalis in three locations: the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, and the United States. The author explores immigration, the constraints of structural discrimination,......
Book by Banks Miller, Linda Camp Keith and Jennifer Holmes, University of Texas at Dallas and University of Colorado, respectively
Reviewed by Cosmas Ukachukwu Ikegwuruka, University of Newcastle
Immigration Judges and U.S. Asylum Policy
Cosmas Ukachukwu Ikegwuruka reviews three books: Immigration Judges and U.S. Asylum Policy; Lives in the Balance: Asylum Adjudication by the Department of Homeland Security; and Beyond Deportation: The Role of Prosecutorial Discretion in Immigration Cases, by Banks Miller, Linda Camp Keith and Jennifer Holmes. The books illuminate the processes by which immigration judges decide......
Volume 50, Issue 2, Summer 2016
Book by Christina D. Abreu, Georgia Southern University
Reviewed by Andrés Espinoza Agurto, University of La Verne
Rhythms of Race: Cuban Musicians and the Making of Latino New York City and Miami, 1940–1960
Andrés Espinoza Agurto of the University of La Verne reviews Rhythms of Race: Cuban Musicians and the Making of Latino New York City and Miami, 1940–1960, by Christina D. Abreu. This book analyzes the socio-musical processes by which Cuban-American musicians, promoters, and entertainers in New York and Miami interacted with each......
Book by Anna Sampaio, Santa Clara University
Reviewed by Austin Kocher, The Ohio State University
Terrorizing Latina/o Immigrants: Race, Gender, and Immigration Policy Post-9/11
Austin Kocher of the Ohio State University reviews Terrorizing Latina/o Immigrants: Race, Gender, and Immigration Policy Post-9/11, by Anna Sampaio. The book is a comprehensive and relevant overview of the history of restrictive US immigration policies and the more recent securitization of immigration enforcement since the War on Terror. The author......
Book by Sofya Aptekar, University of Massachusetts Boston
Reviewed by Sarah Allen Gershon, Georgia State University
The Road to Citizenship: What Naturalization Means for Immigrants in the United States
Sarah Allen Gershon of Georgia State University reviews The Road to Citizenship: What Naturalization Means for Immigrants in the United States, by Sofya Aptekar. This book presents a unique empirical and theoretical approach to understanding the barriers standing in the way of citizenship, the reasons migrants seek to naturalize, and the......
Book by Sara Shneiderman, University of British Columbia
Reviewed by Miriam Wenner, University of Zurich
Rituals of Ethnicity: Thangmi Identities between Nepal and India
Miriam Wenner of the University of Zurich reviews Rituals of Ethnicity: Thangmi Identities between Nepal and India, by Sara Shneiderman. In this in-depth ethnography, Sara Shneiderman researches the construction of ethnic identity of the Thangmi, a transnational community whose members have historically been involved in circular migration across the national borders......
Book by Ulla Berg, Rutgers University
Reviewed by Kristin Skrabut, Harvard University
Mobile Selves: Race, Migration, and Belonging in Peru and the U.S.
Kristin Skrabut of Harvard University reviews Mobile Selves: Race, Migration, and Belonging in Peru and the U.S., by Ulla Berg. The book combines innovative currents in migration and media studies with a deep understanding of Peruvian history to argue that migration is a form of “communicative practice.” It is a......
Book by Tarry Hum, Queens College
Reviewed by Filip Stabrowski, LaGuardia Community College
Making a Global Immigrant Neighborhood: Brooklyn’s Sunset Park
Filip Stabrowski of LaGuardia Community College reviews Making a Global Immigrant Neighborhood: Brooklyn’s Sunset Park, by Tarry Hum. This book deftly dismantles two visions of New York City — the city as a transnational capital and the city as a post-industrial version of the Chicago School’s mosaic “little worlds” — arguing......
Book by Robert L. Fleegler, University of Mississippi
Reviewed by Caroline Merithew, University of Dayton
Ellis Island Nation: Immigration Policy and American Identity in the Twentieth Century
Caroline Merithew of the University of Dayton reviews Ellis Island Nation: Immigration Policy and American Identity in the Twentieth Century, by Robert L. Fleegler. The book develops new arguments about belonging, citizenship, and the social construction of American identity between 1924 and 1965. It is a political and intellectual history......
Book by Alexander Betts, University of Oxford
Reviewed by Simon Turner, Aalborg University
Survival Migration: Failed Governance and the Crisis of Displacement
Simon Turner of Aalborg University reviews Survival Migration: Failed Governance and the Crisis of Displacement, by Alexander Betts. This book reviews the phenomenon of what the author terms “survival migration” — people fleeing basic rights deprivations rather than just persecution — which is vast in scale and has enormous consequences for the......
Volume 50, Issue 1, Spring 2016
Book by Cati Coe, Rutgers University
Reviewed by Maria C. Marchetti-Mercer, University of the Witwatersrand
The Scattered Family: Parenting, African Migrants, and Global Inequality
Maria C. Marchetti-Mercer of the University of the Witwatersrand reviews The Scattered Family: Parenting, African Migrants, and Global Inequality, by Cati Coe. This book offers an analysis of Ghanaian migration to the United States, while at the same time challenging some of the more traditional Western understandings of transnational families worldwide.......
Book by Roger Waldinger, University of California, Los Angeles
Reviewed by David Ley, University of British Columbia
The Cross-Border Connection: Immigrants, Emigrants, and Their Homelands
David Ley of the University of British Columbia reviews The Cross-Border Connection: Immigrants, Emigrants, and Their Homelands, by Roger Waldinger. This book is written by an author critical of the 25-year history of immigration research with a transnational perspective, whose results he finds “disappointing” (5) and leaving “much to be desired” (13).......
Book by Deborah J. Milly, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Reviewed by Anand Rao, State University of New York at Geneseo
New Policies for New Residents: Immigrants, Advocacy, and Governance in Japan and Beyond
Anand Rao of the State University of New York at Geneseo reviews New Policies for New Residents: Immigrants, Advocacy, and Governance in Japan and Beyond, by Deborah J. Milly. This book’s core addresses the puzzle of how different systems of multilevel politics in democratic countries of Europe and East Asia have......
Book by Eric Han, College of William & Mary
Reviewed by Evan Dawley, Goucher College
Rise of a Japanese Chinatown: Yokohama, 1894–1972
Evan Dawley of Goucher College reviews Rise of a Japanese Chinatown: Yokohama, 1894–1972, by Eric Han. This book is about the vicissitudes of identity formation among Chinese in Yokohama and Chinatown’s shifting social position within Japan’s second largest city. Han’s history revolves around a central paradox: How could Chinatown’s ethnic distinctiveness......
Book by Jerry García, Eastern Washington University
Reviewed by Mark Overmyer-Velázquez, University of Connecticut
Looking Like the Enemy: Japanese Mexicans, the Mexican State, and US Hegemony
Mark Overmyer-Velázquez of the University of Connecticut reviews Looking Like the Enemy: Japanese Mexicans, the Mexican State, and US Hegemony, by Jerry García . As the first full-length study of Japanese in Mexico in English, the book builds on a growing scholarship that relates the history of Latin America from the......
Book by Susanne Jonas; University of California, Santa Cruz; and Nestor Rodríguez, University of Texas at Austin
Edited by Jared P. Van Ramshorst, Syracuse University
Guatemala–US Migration: Transforming Regions
Jared P. Van Ramshorst of Syracuse University reviews Guatemala–US Migration: Transforming Regions. Integrating diverse theoretical perspectives and rich case studies, this book provides a detailed analysis of Guatemalan migration to the United States over a 40-year period, from the late 1970s to the present. Drawing from the geographic literature on......
Book by Loretta Bass, University of Oklahoma
Reviewed by Jean Beaman, Purdue University
African Immigrant Families in Another France
Jean Beaman of Purdue University reviews African Immigrant Families in Another France. This book illustrates the structural and cultural markers which characterize these immigrants’ integration experiences. Employing a “cultural-materialist framework,” Bass argues that African immigrants’ experiences of integration into French society, or lack thereof, reflect a combination of cultural and......
Book by MacLeod Erin, Vanier College
Reviewed by Fikru N. Gebrekidan, St. Thomas University
Visions of Zion: Ethiopians and Rastafari in the Search for the Promised Land
Fikru N. Gebrekidan of St. Thomas University reviews Visions of Zion: Ethiopians and Rastafari in the Search for the Promised Land. This book is about Ethiopian perceptions of the mostly Caribbean-born religious immigrants. The messianic view of many Jamaicans toward Ethiopia and its emperor is well known. Where Visions of......
Volume 49, Issue 4, Winter 2015
Book by Natalie Masuoka, Tufts University; and Jane Junn, University of Southern California
Reviewed by James E. Monogan III, University of Georgia
The Politics of Belonging: Race, Public Opinion, and Immigration
James E. Monogan III of the University of Georgia reviews The Politics of Belonging: Race, Public Opinion, and Immigration. This book analyzes US public opinion on immigration. In doing this, Masuoka and Junn advance a theory of a racial prism of group identity (RPGI). Specifically, the authors maintain that the......
Book by Martin Ruhs, University of Oxford
Reviewed by Hania Zlotnik, Wilson Center
The Price of Rights: Regulating International Labor Migration
Hania Zlotnik of the Wilson Center reviews The Price of Rights: Regulating International Labor Migration by Martin Ruhs. Martin Ruhs examinea labor immigration policies in over forty countries, as well as policy drivers in major migrant-receiving and migrant-sending states, finding that there are trade-offs in the policies of high-income countries......
Book by David Pedersen, University of California, San Diego
Reviewed by Milton R. A. Machuca-Gálvez, Swarthmore College
American Value: Migrants, Money, and Meaning in El Salvador and the United States
Milton R. A. Machuca-Gálvez of Swarthmore College reviews American Value: Migrants, Money, and Meaning in El Salvador and the United States. In this book, Pedersen David deconstructs the hierarchies of power that have governed this exercise in storytelling, choosing which narratives will be foregrounded and which will be marginalized and......
Book by Mikkel Rytter, Aarhus University
Reviewed by Ceren Topgül, University of Geneva
Family Upheaval: Generation, Mobility, and Relatedness among Pakistani Migrants in Denmark
Ceren Topgül of the University of Geneva reviews Family Upheaval: Generation, Mobility, and Relatedness among Pakistani Migrants in Denmark. This book investigates in great detail the ongoing transformation and turbulence in the family institution and in the meaning of “to be and to do family” among Pakistani immigrants in Denmark.......
Book by Hariz Halilovich, RMIT University, Melbourne
Reviewed by Fethi Keles, Rhode Island College
Places of Pain: Forced Displacement, Popular Memory and Trans-local Identities in Bosnian War-Torn Communities
Fethi Keles of Rhode Island College reviews Places of Pain: Forced Displacement, Popular Memory and Trans-local Identities in Bosnian War-Torn Communities. This book sets out to describe and explain the complicated links between forced migration, memory, and identity in a global diasporic space made up of Bosnians who left their......
Edited by Nancy Foner, Graduate Center of the City University of New York; Jan Rath, University of Amsterdam; Jan Willem Duyvendak, University of Amsterdam; and Rogier van Reekum, University of Amsterdam
Reviewed by Mitchell Snider, University of Kentucky
New York and Amsterdam: Immigration and the New Urban Landscape
Mitchell Snider reviews New York and Amsterdam: Immigration and the New Urban Landscape. The edited collection provides critical analyses of immigrant experiences, migration politics, the different contexts of reception in New York and Amsterdam, as well as critical reflection on the difficulties and rewards of comparative study. The book’s editors......
Book by Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, University of Southern California
Reviewed by Peter Catron, University of California
Paradise Transplanted: Migration and the Making of California Gardens
Peter Catron of the University of California reviews Paradise Transplanted: Migration and the Making of California Gardens. In this book, Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo relies on participant observation, in-depth interviews, and historical analysis to explore the social processes linking migration and gardens. The book includes three empirical chapters that cover different, but......
Book by Heath Cabot, College of the Atlantic
Reviewed by Anna Triandafyllidou, European University Institute
On the Doorstep of Europe: Asylum and Citizenship in Greece
Anna Triandafyllidou of the European University Institute reviews On the Doorstep of Europe: Asylum and Citizenship in Greece.This book is a much-needed contribution to the current debate on Europe’s asylum and refugee crisis. Heath Cabot, who pioneered critical ethnographic work on the Greek asylum system in 2004, has now published......
Volume 49, Issue 3, Fall 2015
Book by Alexander Clarkson, King’s College London
Reviewed by Adam R. Seipp, Texas A&M University
Fragmented Fatherland: Immigration and Cold War Conflict in the Federal Republic of Germany
Adam R. Seipp of Texas A&M University reviews Fragmented Fatherland: Immigration and Cold War Conflict in the Federal Republic of Germany. In this wide-ranging and sophisticated study, Alexander Clarkson examines the activities of a number of political movements connected to immigrant groups in the Federal Republic of Germany and the......
Book by Rebecca M. Callahan, University of Texas at Austin; and Chandra Muller, University of Texas at Austin
Reviewed by Elizabeth S. Smith, Furman University
Coming of Political Age: American Schools and the Civic Development of Immigrant Youth
Elizabeth S. Smith of Furman University reviews Coming of Political Age: American Schools and the Civic Development of Immigrant Youth. In this book, Callahan and Muller identify a significant gap in our knowledge of the role schools play in preparing immigrant youth to be effective, participatory members of the US......
Edited by Tobias Brinkmann, Penn State University
Reviewed by Peter Tammes, University of Southampton
Points of Passage: Jewish Transmigrants from Eastern Europe in Scandinavia, Germany, and Britain 1880–1914
Peter Tammes of the University of Southampton reviews Points of Passage: Jewish Transmigrants from Eastern Europe in Scandinavia, Germany, and Britain 1880–1914. In this book, the author explores a number of questions including the exact causes of emigration of Jews from the Austro-Hungarian empires, the organization of mass transit migration,......
Edited by Mikael Byström, Uppsala University; and Pär Frohnert, Stockholm University
Reviewed by David Jansson, Uppsala University
Reaching a State of Hope: Refugees, Immigrants and the Swedish Welfare State, 1930–2000
David Jansson of Uppsala University reviews Reaching a State of Hope: Refugees, Immigrants and the Swedish Welfare State, 1930–2000. This book is divided into five sections addressing World War II-era refugee policy, agents and reception of refugee policy during and after the war, refugee policy and the labor shortage during......
Book by Seth M. Holmes, University of California, Berkeley
Reviewed by David Karjanen, University of Minnesota
Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies: Migrant Farmworkers in the United States
David Karjanen of the University of Minnesota reviews Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies: Migrant Farmworkers in the United States. This book is an ethnographic study of indigenous Triqui migrants from Oaxaca, Mexico, who move to the United States to work in the fields of central California and the Skagit Valley in......
Book by Christina Gerken, Indiana University South Bend
Reviewed by Ruth Gomberg-Munoz, Loyola University Chicago
Model Immigrants and Undesirable Aliens: The Cost of Immigration Reform in the 1990s
Ruth Gomberg-Munoz of Loyola University Chicago reviews Model Immigrants and Undesirable Aliens: The Cost of Immigration Reform in the 1990s. This book is an informative and highly readable analysis of the discourse surrounding US immigration policy reforms in the mid-1990s. The central argument of this book is that debates over......
Book by Christopher Anderson, Wilfrid Laurier University
Reviewed by James Walsh, University of Pennsylvania
Canadian Liberalism and the Politics of Border Control, 1867–1967
James Walsh of the University of Pennsylvania reviews Canadian Liberalism and the Politics of Border Control, 1867–1967. This book on the rights of non-citizens in Canada’s first century offers an alternative optic for assessing the “control/rights nexus.” Drawing on a wide array of primary and secondary sources, the author highlights......
Book by David A. Gerber
Reviewed by Elizabeth Zanoni, Old Dominion University
Ethnic Historians and the Mainstream: Shaping America’s Immigration Story
Elizabeth Zanoni of Old Dominion University reviews Ethnic Historians and the Mainstream: Shaping America’s Immigration Story. This book is a welcome and invaluable collection for scholars and students of immigration and US history. Editors Alan Kraut and David Gerber recognize that “historians often seem to write their autobiographies with the......
Volume 49, Issue 2, Summer 2015
Book by Rick Baldoz, Oberlin College
Reviewed by Victor Bascara, University of California, Los Angeles
The Third Asiatic Invasion: Empire and Migration in Filipino America, 1898-1846
Victor Bascara, Associate Professor of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, reviews The Third Asiatic Invasion: Empire and Migration in Filipino America, 1898-1846. The book is a sociological history of Filipino America dealing with empire, racialization, nationalisms, assimilation, “benevolent independence,” and anti-miscegenation law. The resulting text......
Book by Michael A. Olivas, University of Houston Law Center
Reviewed by Carol L. Schmid, Guilford Technical Community College
No Undocumented Child Left Behind: Plyler v. Doe and the Education of Undocumented Schoolchildren
Carol L. Schmid, Professor of Sociology at Guilford Technical Community College, reviews No Undocumented Child Left Behind: Plyler v. Doe and the Education of Undocumented Schoolchildren. The book examines the successes and failures of the implementation of Plyler v. Doe, the US Supreme Court decision requiring public school districts to......
Book by Frank Graziano, Connecticut College
Reviewed by Milagros Riscourt, Lehman College, City University of New York
Undocumented Dominican Migration
Milagros Riscourt, Associate Professor of Latin American and Puerto Rican Studies at Lehman College, reviews Undocumented Dominican Migration. The book examines the structural, cultural and personal factors that result in the undocumented migration of Dominicans and uses ethnographic data to demonstrate the experience of migrants. The text draws on information......
Book by Maxine L. Margolis, University of Florida
Reviewed by Carlos Eduardo Siqueira, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Goodbye, Brazil: Émigrés from the Land of Soccer and Samba
Carlos Eduardo Siqueira, Associate Professor of Community Development and Planning in the College of Public and Community Service at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, reviews Goodbye, Brazil: Emigres from the Land of Soccer and Samba. The book examines the Brazilian diaspora using articles, books and news reports collected over two......
Book by Jay Winter,Yale University; and Michael Teitelbaum, Harvard Law School
Reviewed by Miroslav Macura, IDEMO, University of Geneva
The Global Spread of Fertility Decline: Population, Fear, and Uncertainty
Miroslav Macura, a scientific collaborator with the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Geneva, reviews The Global Spread of Fertility Decline: Population, Fear and Uncertainty. The book examines population trends, which have dropped in developed countries over the past four decades. Drops in fertility have been recorded in......
Edited by Laura Oso, Universidade da Coruña; and Natalia Ribas-Mateos, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Reviewed by Sendy Alcidonis, Temple University
The International Handbook on Gender, Migration, and Transnationalism
Sendy Alcidonis, a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Geography and Urban Studies at Temple University, reviews The International Handbook on Gender, Migration and Transnationalism. The handbook seeks to explore the connections between gender, migration, transnationalism and development in the context of an increasingly globalized world. Global production chains are......
Book by Linda McDowell, University of Oxford
Reviewed by Malene H. Jacobsen, University of Kentucky
Working Lives: Gender, Migration, and Employment in Britain, 1945–2007
Marlene H. Jacobsen, a graduate student at the University of Kentucky, reviews Working Lives: Gender, Migration and Employment in Britain, 1945-2007. The handbook seeks to explore the connections between gender, migration, transnationalism and development in the context of an increasingly globalized world. Global production chains are situated at the center......
Book by Eithne Luibhéid, University of Arizona
Reviewed by Sean H. Wang, Syracuse University
Pregnant on Arrival: Making the Illegal Immigrant
Sean H. Wang, a doctoral student and National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow at Syracuse University, reviews Pregnant on Arrival: Making the Illegal Immigrant. The book examines state regulation of sexuality as a method of restricting immigration. It specifically looks at the portrayal of pregnant migrants as “welfare moochers” who abuse......
Volume 49, Issue 1, Spring 2015
Book by Thomas K. McCraw, Harvard Business School
Reviewed by John Reda, Illinois State University
The Founders and Finance: How Hamilton, Gallatin and Other Immigrants Forged a New Economy
John Reda, Assistant Professor of History at Illinois State University, reviews The Founders and Finance: How Hamilton, Gallatin and Other Immigrants Forged a New Economy. The book argues that a group of immigrants including Alexander Hamilton and Albert Gallatin, rescued the United States from insolvency resulting from the Revolutionary War......
Edited by David W. Haines, George Mason University; Keiko Yamanaka, University of California, Berkeley; and Shinji Yamashita, University of Tokyo
Reviewed by James Coates, Waseda University
Wind Over Water: Migration in an East Asian Context
James Coates, a Postdoctoral Fellow at Waseda University, reviews Wind Over Water: Migration in an East Asian Context. The book provides an overview of migration in East Asia and several ethnographic case studies linguistically grounded in the region. It is divided into three sections: Migration, States and Cities; Family, Gender,......
Edited by Kathleen C. Schwartzman, University of Arizona
Reviewed by Altha J. Cravey, University of North Carolina
The Chicken Trail: Following Workers, Migrants, and Corporations across the Americas
Altha J. Carey, Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of North Carolina, reviews The Chicken Trail: Following Workers, Migrants, and Corporations across the Americas. The book examines globalization through a single-food commodity, chicken. It demonstrates labor manipulation and immigration policies intended to benefit poultry giants insourced Mexicans as labor......
Book by Adriana Cruz-Manjarrez, University of Colima, Mexico
Reviewed by Amelia Frank-Vitale, University of Michigan
Zapotecs on the Move: Cultural, Social and Political Processes in Transnational Perspective
Amelia Frank-Vitale, a Doctoral Student in Anthropology at the University of Michigan, reviews Zapotecs on the Move: Cultural, Social and Political Processes in Transnational Perspective. The book provides an overview of five generations of the migration history of an indigenous Zapotec village in Oaxaca, Mexico. This history is used to......
Volume 48, Issue 4, Winter 2014
Book by Neha Vora, Lafayette College
Reviewed by Sanjukta Mukherjee, DePaul University
Impossible Citizens: Dubai’s Indian Diaspora
Sanjukta Mukherjee, Assistant Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at DePaul University, reviews Impossible Citizens: Dubai’s Indian Diaspora. The book is an ethnography of the Indian community in Dubai, focusing on daily experiences and performances of inclusion and exclusion. The book examines the lives of non-citizens who are nonetheless entrenched......
Edited by Sherwin K. Bryant, Northwestern University; Rachel Sarah O’Toole, University of California, Irvine; and Ben Vinson III, Johns Hopkins University
Reviewed by Thor Ritz, Syracuse University
Africans to Spanish America: Expanding the Diaspora
Thor Ritz, a PhD Candidate at Syracuse University, reviews Africans to Spanish America: Expanding the Diaspora. The book explores the history of Africans and people of African descent in colonial Spanish America. It deals with slavery and European imperialism in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in locations including Mexico, Peru,......
Edited by Maurice Crul, Free University of Amsterdam and Erasmus University Rotterdam; and John Mollenkopf, Graduate Center, City University of New York
Reviewed by Richard Wright, Dartmouth College
The Changing Face of World Cities: Young Adult Children of Immigrants in North America and Europe
Richard Wright, Professor of Geography at Dartmouth College, reviews The Changing Face of World Cities: Young Adult Children of Immigrants in North America and Europe. The book examines the lives of the adult children of immigrants in 17 cities across Western Europe and the US and provides a comparative analysis......
Book by Julie Vullnetari, University of Southampton
Reviewed by Elidor Mëhilli, City University of New York
Albania on the Move: Links between Internal and International Migration
Elidor Mëhilli, Professor of History at City University of New York, reviews Albania on the Move: Links between Internal and International Migration. The book maps the domestic and foreign destinations of Albanian migrants who began emigrating in 1991, after the collapse of the party state in Albania. The book links......
Edited by Judith Gans, University of Arizona; Elaine M. Replogle, University of Oregon; and Daniel J. Tichenor, University of Oregon
Reviewed by Kristi Andersen, Syracuse University
Debates on US Immigration
Kristi Andersen, Chapple Family Professor of Citizenship and Democracy at Syracuse University, reviews Debates on US Immigration. The book is arranged into debates (“point/counterpoint” chapters) about current immigration issues and policy, and includes work by various think-tank analysts, policy advocates, and scholars of different disciplines. The debates are split into......
Volume 48, Issue 3, Fall 2014
Book by Christine G.T. Ho, Fielding Graduate University; and James Loucky, Western Washington University
Reviewed by Fran Ansley, University of Tennessee
Humane Migration: Establishing Legitimacy and Rights for Displaced People
Fran Ansley, Professor Emeritus of Law at College of Law, University of Tennessee, reviews Humane Migration: Establishing Legitimacy and Rights for Displaced People. The book looks at how questions of migration are framed by taking a broad historical and geographic approach. By examining both the role of human mobility in......
Book by Alexander Betts, University of Oxford
Reviewed by Simon Turner, Aalborg University
Survival Migration: Failed Governance and the Crisis of Displacement
Simon Turner of Aalborg University reviews Survival Migration: Failed Governance and the Crisis of Displacement, by Alexander Betts. This book reviews the phenomenon of what the author terms “survival migration” — people fleeing basic rights deprivations rather than just persecution — which is vast in scale and has enormous consequences for the......
Edited by Karen Block, University of Melbourne; Elisha Riggs, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; and Nick Haslam, University of Melbourne
Reviewed by Kate Coddington, Durham University
Values and Vulnerabilities: The Ethics of Research with Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Kate Coddington, a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Geography at Durham University, reviews Values and Vulnerabilities: The Ethics of Research with Refugees and Asylum Seekers. The book examines the ethical complications that come with researching refugees and aslyum seekers, and deals with both general ethical principles and practical......
Volume 48, Issue 2, Summer 2014
Book by Deborah A. Boehm, University of Nevada, Reno
Reviewed by Sarah J. Mahler, Florida International University
Intimate Migrations: Gender, Family and Illegality Among Transnational Mexicans
Sarah J. Mahler, an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Florida International University, reviews Intimate Migrations: Gender, Family and Illegality Among Transnational Mexicans. The book is an ethnography that examines the issues faced by undocumented Mexican migrants living in the US. It examines the “intimate” side of migration: the day-to-day adjustments......
Book by Jean-Michael Lafleur, Belgian Fund for Scientific Research
Reviewed by Tova Wang, Demos
Transnational Politics and the State: The External Voting Rights of Diasporas
Tova Wang, a Senior Democracy Fellow at Demos, reviews Transnational Politics and the State: The External Voting Rights of Diasporas. The book examines external voting by emigrants: its growth and challenges, the reasoning behind it and the political and global repercussions of it. It also details the tensions between adopted......
Book by Ruxandra Trandafoiu, Edge Hill University
Reviewed by Vanessa Bravo, Elon University
Diaspora Online: Identity Politics and Romanian Migrants
Vanessa Bravo, an Assistant Professor in Elon University’s School of Communications, reviews Diaspora Online: Identity Politics and Romanian Migrants. The book analyzes the cultural and political expressions of Romanian migrants, as they are shared online, in diasporic websites. The book author explores the identity formation of Romanian migration, as well......
Book by Kieu-Linh Caroline Valverde, University of California, Davis
Reviewed by Deborah Reed-Danahay, State University of New York at Buffalo
Transnationalizing Viet Nam: Community, Culture and Politics in the Diaspora
Deborah Reed-Danahay, a Professor of Anthropology at the State University of New York at Buffalo, reviews Transnationalizing Viet Nam: Community, Culture and Politics in the Diaspora. The book utilizes ethnographic research based in California and Vietnam to examine what the author calls “transnational acts” among members of the Vietnamese diaspora......
Volume 48, Issue 1, Spring 2014
Book by Elaine R. Thomas, Bard College
Reviewed by Caroline Nagel, University of South Carolina
Immigration, Islam and the Politics of Belonging in France: A Comparative Framework
Caroline Nagel, an Associate Professor of Geography at the University of South Carolina, reviews Immigration, Islam and the Politics of Belonging in France: A Comparative Framework. The book deals with the conceptions of citizenship and belonging in France as well as the political claims of Muslim immigrants and minority populations.......
Book by Christian Krohn-Hansen, University of Oslo
Reviewed by Jose Itzigsohn, Brown University
Making New York Dominican: Small Business, Politics, and Everyday Life
Jose Itzigsohn, a Professor of Sociology at Brown University, reviews Making New York Dominican: Small Business, Politics, and Everyday Life. The book examines the economic and political presence of Dominicans in New York. The ethnographic study details Dominican business operation, social networks, family ties and organizational structure built on cultural......
Producing and Negotiating Non-Citizenship: Precarious Legal Status in Canada:
Edited by Luin Goldring, York University; and Patricia Landolt, University of Toronto, Scarsborough
Irregular Migrant Domestic Workers in Europe:
Edited by Anna Triandafyllidou, European University Institute
Reviewed by Kathryn Tomko Dennler, York University
Producing and Negotiating Non-Citizenship: Precarious Legal Status in Canada and Irregular Migrant Domestic Workers in Europe: Who Cares?
Kathryn Tomko Dennler, a PhD candidate at York University reviews Producing and Negotiating Non-Citizenship: Precarious Legal Status in Canada, edited by Luin Goldring and Patricia Landolt, and Irregular Migrant Domestic Workers in Europe: Who Cares? edited by Anna Triandafyllidou. The book edited by Goldring & Landolt deals with the precarity experienced......
Volume 47, Issue 4, Winter 2013
Kinship Across Borders: A Christian Ethic of Immigration
Book by Kristin Heyer, Santa Clara University
Asylum-Seeking, Migration, and Church
Book by Susanna Snyder, Catherine of Siena Virtual College
Edited by Marie Friedmann Marquardt, Emory University
Kinship Across Borders: A Christian Ethic of Immigration & Asylum-Seeking, Migration, and Church
Marie Friedmann Marquardt, a Scholar in Residence at the Chandler School of Theology at Emory University, reviews Kinship Across Borders: A Christian Ethic of Immigration by Kristin Heyer and Asylum Seeking, Migration and Church by Susanna Snyder. Heyer’s book examines immigration patterns and their socioeconomic context in light of Christian......
Book by Rhacel Salazar Parreñas, University of Southern California
Reviewed by Emily Mitchell-Eaton, Syracuse University
Illicit Flirtations: Labor, Migration and Sex Trafficking in Tokyo
Emily Mitchell-Eaton, a Doctoral Candidate at Syracuse University, reviews Illicit Flirtations: Labor, Migration and Sex Trafficking in Tokyo by Rhacel Salazar Parreñas. The author argues that protectionist immigration policies intended to protect Filipinas from being trafficked into prostitution in Japan have actually exacerbated the vulnerability of female migrants with regard......
Book by Helen B. Marrow, Tufts University
Edited by Barbara Ellen Smith, Virginia Tech
New Destination Dreaming: Immigration, Race and Legal Status in the Rural American South
Barbara Ellen Smith, Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Virginia Tech, reviews New Destination Dreaming: Immigration, Race and Legal Status in the Rural American South. The book studies Hispanic settlement in North Carolina and is a comparative ethnography of rural “new destinations” for migrants in the contemporary American South.......
Volume 47, Issue 3, Fall 2013
Book by Grace Paña Delgado, Pennsylvania State University
Reviewed by Julia M. Schiavone Camacho
Making the Chinese Mexican: Global Migration, Localism and Exclusion in the US-Mexico Borderlands
Julia M. Schiavone Camacho, an independent researcher, reviews Making the Chinese Mexican: Global Migration, Localism and Exclusion in the US-Mexico Borderlands. The book comprehensively details the social and cultural history of the US-Mexican borderlands and places the borderlands in a transnational frame rather than privileging either nation in its scholarship.......
Book by Mia Tuan, University of Oregon; and Jiannbin Lee Shiao, University of Oregon
Edited by Nadia Y. Kim, Loyola Marymount University
Choosing Ethnicity, Negotiating Race: Korean Adoptees in America
Nadia Y. Kim, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Loyola Marymount University, reviews Choosing Ethnicity, Negotiating Race: Korean Adoptees in America. The book examines adult Korean adoptees and the formation of their racial and ethnic identity in the US. The authors detail the historical context of the adoptions, the family situations,......
Book by Emily Skop, University of Colorado
Reviewed by Jose Carlos Teixeira, University of British Columbia, Okanagan
The Immigration and Settlement of Asian Indians in Phoenix, Arizona 1965-2011: Ethnic Pride vs. Racial Discrimination in the Suburbs
Jose Carlos Teixeira, a Professor of Geography at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan, reviews The Immigration and Settlement of Asian Indians in Phoenix, Arizona 1965-2011: Ethnic Pride vs. Racial Discrimination in the Suburbs. The book examines the impact of suburban settlement on the “(re)construction” of the racial and ethnic......
Book by Bakirathi Mani, Swarthmore College
Reviewed by Ishan Ashutosh, Northumbria University
Aspiring to Home: South Asians in America
Ishan Ashutosh, a lecturer at Northumbria University, reviews Aspiring to Home: South Asians in America. The book examines South Asian diasporic communities and cultural formation. The book author argues that South Asian diasporic communities are formed within national multicultural and neoliberal state formation. She shows the process of transnational movements,......
Volume 47, Issue 2, Summer 2013
Edited by Carlos Vargas-Silva, University of Oxford
Reviewed by Marta B. Erdal, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)
Handbook of Research Methods in Migration
Marta B. Erdal, a senior researcher at Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), reviews Handbook of Research Methods in Migration. The handbook is a contribution to the literature on migration research methods, including qualitative and quantitative research. The book also examines “forced” and “voluntary” migration, vulnerable groups, and the practical and......
Book by Allan Christelow, Idaho State University
Reviewed by Tala Khanmalek, University of California, Berkeley
Algerians Without Borders: The Making of a Global Frontier Society
Tala Khanmalek, a Doctoral Candidate in the Ethnic Studies Department at University of California, Berkeley, reviews Algerians Without Borders: The Making of a Global Frontier Society. The book argues that Algerians, because of their experiences living in a “frontier territory,” are especially adept at code-switching, and have been intermediaries between......
Book by Deirdre M. Moloney, Princeton University
Reviewed by Joseph Nevins, Vassar College
National Insecurities: Immigrants and US Deportation Policy Since 1882
Joseph Nevins, Associate Professor of Geography at Vassar College, reviews National Insecurities: Immigrants and US Deportation Policy Since 1882. The examines the history of U.S. deportation policy and how it shaped eligibility for citizenship. In this context, it looks particularly at race and gender, social and public policy, and the......
Volume 47, Issue 1, Spring 2013
Book by Triadafilos Triadafilopoulos, University of Toronto
Reviewed by Harald Bauder, Ryerson University
Becoming Multicultural: Immigration and the Politics of Membership in Canada and Germany
Harald Bauder, Academic Director of the Ryerson Centre for Immigration and Settlement (RCIS) reviews Becoming Multicultural: Immigration and the Politics of Membership in Canada and Germany. The book uses Canada and Germany as case studies to compare what the book author calls the “migration-membership dilemma,” which describes the contradiction created......
Edited by Christine Bischoff, University of Basel; Francesca Falk, University of Basel; and Sylvia Kafehsy
Reviewed by Nancy Hiemstra, Stony Brook University
Images of Illegalized Immigration: Towards a Critical Iconography of Politics
Nancy Hiemstra, of the Department of Cultural Analysis and Theory at Stony Brook University, reviews Images of Illegalized Immigration: Towards a Critical Iconography of Politics. The book examines the importance of the visual representation of migration and how they shape popular understanding. The book offers a wide interpretation on what......
Book by J. Celeste Lay, Tulane University
Reviewed by Eileen Diaz McConnell, Arizona State University
A Midwestern Mosaic: Immigration and Political Socialization in Rural America
Eileen Diaz McConnell, Associate Professor in the School of Transborder Studies at Arizona State University, reviews A Midwestern Mosaic: Immigration and Political Socialization in Rural America. The book examines political socialization, or the process by which young people develop their political attitudes and identities. The process is shaped by parents,......
Volume 46, Issue 4, Winter 2012
Book by Caroline B. Brettell, Southern Methodist University; and Deborah-Reed Danahay, University at Buffalo, State University of New York
Reviewed by Helen B. Marrow, Tufts University
Civic Engagements: The Citizenship Practices of Indian and Vietnamese Immigrants
Helen B. Marrow, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Tufts University, reviews The Citizenship Practices of Indian and Vietnamese Immigrants. The book is an ethnographic study of the civic and political incorporation of two post-1965 immigrant groups and their children in Texas: Indians (a group made up largely of professionals, entrepreneurs......
Book by Gregory Feldman, Simon Fraser University
Reviewed by Maurice Stierl, University of Warwick
The Migration Apparatus: Security, Labor and Policymaking in the European Union
Maurice Stierl, an early career fellow at the Institute of Advanced Study in the Politics and International Studies Department (PAIS) at the University of Warwick, reviews The Migration Apparatus: Security, Labor and Policymaking in the European Union. The book examines EU migration governance, which is simultaneously decentralized and becoming more......
Book by Kavita Datta, Queen Mary University of London
Reviewed by Linda McDowell, University of Oxford
Migrants and their Money: Surviving Financial Exclusion
Linda McDowell of the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford reviews Migrants and their Money: Surviving Financial Exclusion. The book connects global financial markets and global migration flows to local realities by examining the lives of migrants employed by London’s elite as janitors, retail workers......
Volume 46, Issue 3, Fall 2012
Edited by Khalid Koser, Geneva Centre for Security Policy; and Susan Martin, Georgetown University
Reviewed by Holly E. Reed, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Migration-Displacement Nexus: Patterns, Processes and Policies
Holly E. Reed, Assistant Professor of Sociology at City University of New York (CUNY), reviews The Migration-Displacement Nexus: Patterns, Processes and Policies. The volume is a collection of theoretical essays and case studies analyzing the linkages between displacement and migration. The chapters examine resettlement, internally displaced persons (IDPs), development, social......
Edited by Patricia Zavella, University of California, Santa Cruz
Reviewed by Steve Striffler, University of New Orleans
I’m Neither Here nor There: Mexicans’ Quotidian Struggles with Migration and Poverty
Steve Striffler, the Doris Zemurray Stone Chair in Latin American Studies and Professor of Anthropology at the University of New Orleans, reviews I’m Neither Here nor There: Mexicans’ Quotidian Struggles with Migration and Poverty. The book focuses on the ability of people of Mexican descent to create families, identities and......
Volume 46, Issue 2, Summer 2012
Edited by John Higley, University of Texas at Austin; John Nieuwenhuysen, Monash University; Stine Neerup, Copenhagen University
Reviewed by Ellen Percy Kraly, Colgate University
Immigration and the Financial Crisis: The United States and Australia Compared
Ellen Percy Kraly, Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at Colgate University, reviews Immigration and the Financial Crisis: The United States and Australia Compared. The book addresses the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis on immigrants and resident workers, as well as on migration policy, in the US and Australia.......
Volume 46, Issue 1, Spring 2012
Edited by Frank Caestecker, University of Ghent; and Bob Moore, University of Sheffield
Reviewed by Barry Kirkin
Refugees from Nazi Germany and the Liberal European States
Barry Kirkin, an independent consultant, reviews Refugees from Nazi Germany and the Liberal European States. The book provides a comparative survey of the changes in immigration policy in Western European states as it concerned Jewish refugees during the 1930s. Read the book review at https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-7379.2012.00887.x..........
Volume 45, Issue 4, Winter 2011
Book by Alexander Betts, University of Oxford
Reviewed by Alexandra Délano, Global Studies, The New School (NY)
Global Migration Governance
Alexandra Délano of the Global Studies Department at the New School (NY), reviews Global Migration Governance. The book examines the lack of a formal comprehensive multilateral regime governing the movement of people, and details the different institutions regulating different areas of migration. The book also categorizes types of migrants, types......
Volume 45, Issue 3, Fall 2011
Book by Rebecca Roberts, Coventry University
Reviewed by Natasha N. Iskander, New York University
Palestinians in Lebanon: Refugees Living with Long-Term Displacement
Natasha N. Iskander, Associate Professor of Public Policy at New York University, reviews Palestinians in Lebanon: Refugees Living with Long-Term Displacement. The book examines the situation of 200,000 Palestinian refugees, who are prevented from returning to Palestine but forbidden from fully settling into Lebanon and remain in temporary shelters and......
Book by Natasha N. Iskander, New York University
Reviewed by Laura V. Gonzalez-Murphy, State University of New York at Albany
Creative State: Forty Years of Migration and Development Policy in Morocco and Mexico
Laura V. Gonzalez-Murphy, a Postdoctoral Fellow at The Research Foundation for the State University of New York at Albany, reviews Creative State: Forty Years of Migration and Development Policy in Morocco and Mexico. The book analyzes the process of development as it relates to communication between the state and its......
Volume 45, Issue 2, Summer 2011
Book by Craig Robertson, Northeastern University
Reviewed by Donald Kerwin, Migration Policy Institute
The Passport in America: The History of a Document
Donald Kerwin of the Migration Policy Institute reviews The Passport in America: The History of a Document, in which the author recounts the history of the US passport and the controversies over the federal government’s use of it to document identity and citizenship. The book includes details the form, security,......
Volume 45, Issue 1, Spring 2011
Edited by Amaney Jamal, Princeton University; and Nadine Naber, University of Illinois at Chicago
Reviewed by Juris Pupcenoks, University of Delaware Fellow, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
Race and Arab Americans Before and After 9/11: From Invisible Citizens to Visible Subjects
Juris Pupcenoks, a fellow at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding at the University of Delaware, reviews Race and Arab Americans Before and After 9/11: From Invisible Citizens to Visible Subjects. The book examines anti-Arab racism and discrimination in the United States in the period before and after the......
Volume 44, Issue 4, Winter 2010
Book by Marc Morjé Howard, Georgetown University
Reviewed by Bela Hovy, Chief, Migration Section, United Nations Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, New York
The Politics of Citizenship in Europe
Bela Hovy of Migration Section, United Nations Population Division, reviews The Politics of Citizenship in Europe. The book uses case studies, quantitative analysis, historical perspectives, and contemporary political investigation to analyze the evolution of citizenship policies in the member countries of the EU. The book examines why some countries have......
Edited by Ryszard Cholewinski, International Organization for Migration, Geneva; Paul de Guchteneire, UNESCO, Paris; and Antoine Pécoud,UNESCO, Paris
Reviewed by Ritendra Tamang,Centre for Dialogue, Simon Fraser University; and Ajay Pradhan, Network for Democracy and Development
Migration and Human Rights: The United Nations Convention on Migrant Workers’ Rights
Ritendra Tamang & Ajay Pradhan of Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University and the Network for Democracy and Development, respectively, review Migration and Human Rights: The United Nations Convention on Migrant Workers’ Rights. The volume focuses on migration as crucial to human development in the context of globalization. It......
Volume 44, Issue 3, Fall 2010
Edited by Donald Kerwin, Migration Policy Institute; and Jill Marie Gerschutz, Office of Social and International Ministries at the Jesuit Conference, USA
Reviewed by Mark R. Von Sternberg, Pace University School of Law and St. John’s University School of Law
And You Welcomed Me: Migration and Catholic Social Teaching
Mark R. von Sternberg of Pace University School of Law and St. John’s University School of Law reviews And You Welcomed Me: Migration and Catholic Social Teaching. The book is a compilation of essays, which explore the core tenets of Catholic social teaching and their relationship to the immigration debate.......
Volume 44, Issue 2, Summer 2010
Book by Katherine Pratt Ewing, Duke University
Reviewed by Sabine Henning, Population Division, United Nations
Stolen Honor: Stigmatizing Muslim Men in Berlin
Sabine Henning of the Population Division at the United Nations reviews Stolen Honor: Stigmatizing Muslim Men in Berlin. The book is an ethnography focusing on the experience of Muslim men – mostly Turkish – in Germany and explores the origin of stereotypes and stigmas. The book examines the representations of Muslim......
Book by Israel Drori, College of Management, Israel
Reviewed by Gallya Lahav, State University of New York at Stony Brook
Foreign Workers in Israel: Global Perspectives
Gallya Lahav, Associate Professor of Political Science at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, reviews Foreign Workers in Israel: Global Perspectives. The book examines labor migration and its effects on national identity and democratic practices in Israel. It provides a detailed overview of the policy mechanisms in......
Book by Kamal Sidiq, University of California, Irvine
Reviewed by Marc Morjé Howard, Georgetown University
Paper Citizens: How Illegal Immigrants Acquire Citizenship in Developing Countries
Marc Morjé Howard, Professor of Government at Georgetown University, reviews Paper Citizens, How Illegal Immigrants Acquire Citizenship in Developing Countries. The book details how the use of documents like birth certificates, health cards, voter ID cards and others is inconsistent and prone to corruption in developing countries. As a result,......
Volume 44, Issue 1, Spring 2010
Edited by Mary E. Odem, Emory University; and Elaine Lacy, University of South Carolina, Aiken
Reviewed by Renée Daamen, University of Amsterdam
Latino Immigrants and the Transformation of the US South
Renée Daamen of the Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam reviews Latino Immigrants and the Transformation of the US South. The book deals with the socio-political incorporation of Hispanic immigrants in non-traditional immigrant destinations in the American South. It is a compilation of different case studies and......
Volume 43, Issue 4, Winter 2009
Edited by Judith Treas and Fernando Torres-Gil (guest editors for Generations, Vol. 32, No. 4, Winter 2008-2009)
Reviewed by Barry Mirkin
Immigration in an Aging Society
Independent Consultant Barry Mirkin reviews Immigration in an Aging Society. This issue of the journal Generations addresses the fact that contemporary research on immigration generally focuses on the working-age population and their children, ignoring older populations. Some topics discussed include aging societies’ dependence on migrants and the ironic correlation between societies......
Edited by A. Deniz Balgamis, University of Wisconsin, Madison; and Kemal H. Karpat, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Reviewed by Donald Heisel, Fordham University
Turkish Migration to the United States: From Ottoman Times to the Present
Donald Heisel, Professor of Sociology at Fordham University, reviews Turkish Migration to the United States: From Ottoman Times to the Present. The book presents an overview of Turkish migration to the United States. The Turkish migration flow to the U.S. is relatively small, with an estimated 400,000 long term emigrants......
Volume 43, Issue 2, Summer 2009
A Nation of Emigrants. How Mexico Manages Its Migration
Book by David Fitzgerald, University of California, San Diego
Struggling for Recognition. The Alevi Movement in Germany and in Transnational Space
Book by Martin Sökefeld, University of Munich, Germany
Reviewed by Dietrich Thränhardt, Transatlantic Academy
A Nation of Emigrants: How Mexico Manages Its Migration
Dietrich Thränhardt, Professor of Comparative Politics and Migration research at the University of Münster, reviews A Nation of Emigrants. How Mexico Manages Its Migration and Struggling for Recognition. The Alevi Movement in Germany and in Transnational Space. The first book is about Mexican policy changes in response to the United States’ increasingly restrictive......
Volume 43, Issue 1, Spring 2009
Book by Colin Tatz, Peter Arnold, Gillian Heller
Reviewed by Donald Heisel, Fordham University
Worlds Apart: The Re-Migration of South African Jews
Donald Heisel, Professor of Sociology at Fordham University, reviews Worlds Apart: The Re-Migration of South African Jews. The book is about the Litvaks– 40,000 Jews of Lithuanian and Latvian origin– who migrated to South Africa in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the beginning the Litvaks enjoyed privileges......
Book by Linda Bosniak, Rutgers School of Law
Reviewed by Amada Armenta, University of California, Los Angeles; and Roger Waldinger, University of California, Los Angeles
The Citizen and the Alien: Dilemmas of Contemporary Membership
Amada Armenta, Professor of Sociology at University of Pennsylvania, and Roger Waldinger, Professor of Sociology at University of California, Los Angeles, review The Citizen and the Alien: Dilemmas of Contemporary Membership. The book is about the competing ideas of nationalism and transnationalism as well as opposing terms citizen and alien. It......
Volume 42, Issue 2, Summer 2008
Book by Irene Bloemraad, University of California, Berkeley
Reviewed by Karen A. Woodrow-Lafield
Becoming a Citizen: Incorporating Immigrants and Refugees in the United States and Canada
Karen A. Woodrow-Lafield, Research Professor at Maryland Population Research Center, reviews Becoming a Citizen: Incorporating Immigrants and Refugees in the United States and Canada. The book compares the political integration (including full citizenship, voting, and office holding) of Vietnamese and Portuguese immigrants in Canada and the United States. The author......
Volume 42, Issue 1, Spring 2008
Book by Peggy Levitt, Wellesley College
Reviewed by Helen Rose Ebaugh, University of Houston
God Needs No Passport: Immigrants and the Changing American Religious Landscape
Helen Rose Ebaugh, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Houston, reviews God Needs No Passport: Immigrants and the Changing American Religious Landscape. The book is about four first generation immigrant communities in the greater Boston area: Hindus from Gujarat in western India; Muslims from the cities of Karachi......
Book by Christophe Bertossi, Institut français des relations internationales; and Catherine Wihtol de Wenden, Centre de recherches internationales
Reviewed by Leah Haus, Vassar College
Les Couleurs du Drapeau: L’armée française face aux discriminations
Leah Haus, Professor of Political Science at Vassar College, reviews Les Couleurs du Drapeau: L’armée française face aux discriminations. The book is about discrimination against second generation individuals in the French Army. The authors conducted a multitude of interviews with second generation individuals in the military, and revealed that the......
Book by Caitlin Killian, Drew University
Reviewed by Charles A. Davis III, Fordham University
North African Women in France: Gender, Culture, and Identity
Charles A. Davis III reviews North African Women in France: Gender, Culture, and Identity. The book is about the identity formation of North African immigrant women in Paris, France. The author bases her research on semi-structured interviews and studies how these individuals negotiate personal identity, including “disidentification.” The author avoids......
Volume 41, Issue 3, Fall 2007
Book by Natalia Ribas-Mateos, Mediterranean Laboratory of Sociology, Aix-en-Provence, France
Reviewed by Michael Collyer, University of Sussex
The Mediterranean in the Age of Globalisation: Migration, Welfare and Borders
Dr. Michael Collyer, Reader of Geography at the University of Sussex, reviews The Mediterranean in the Age of Globalisation: Migration, Welfare and Borders. The book is divided into two sections, the first of which examines the impact of welfare policies in Southern Europe on immigrants in several cities. It describes......
Book by Emily Rosenbaum, Fordham University; and Samantha Friedman, Northeastern University
Reviewed by Richard A. Wright, Dartmouth College
The Housing Divide: How Generations of Immigrants Fare in New York City’s Housing Market
Richard A. Wright, Professor of Geography at Dartmouth College, reviews The Housing Divide: How Generations of Immigrants Fare in New York City’s Housing Market. The book is about the persistence of race in the housing market. It concludes that Whites enjoy superior access to quality housing and neighborhoods, followed by......
Book by Laura María Agustín
Reviewed by Lynel Long
Sex at the Margins: Migration, Labour Markets and the Rescue Industry
Lynel Long, an independent consultant, reviews Sex at the Margins: Migration, Labour Markets and the Rescue Industry. The book argues that social helpers (policymakers, NGOs, religious personnel, etc.) often overlook the agency of migrant women who are involved in sex work, and portray them solely as victims. The author highlights......
Edited by Mary Waters, Harvard University; Reed Ueda, Tufts University; and Helen B. Marrow, Harvard University
Reviewed by Greta Gilbertson, Fordham University
The New Americans: A Guide to Immigration since 1965
Greta Gilbertson, Associate Professor of Sociology at Fordham University, reviews The New Americans: A Guide to Immigration since 1965. The book is a reference guide that includes chapters on immigrants from Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Pacific in the United States after 1965.......
Volume 41, Issue 2, Summer 2007
Book by Aristide R. Zolberg, New School for Social Research
Reviewed by Eliot Dickinson, Hope College
A Nation by Design: Immigration Policy in the Fashioning of America
Eliot Dickinson, visiting assistant professor of Political Science at Hope College, reviews A Nation by Design: Immigration Policy in the Fashioning of America. The book offers the history of immigration to the United States from the colonial period to the present. Based on this history, the author argues that immigration......
Book by David A. Badillo, Lehman College, City University of New York
Reviewed by Rodolfo Soriano-Núñez, Fordham University
Latinos and the New Immigrant Church
Rodolfo Soriano-Núñez, Professor of Sociology at Fordham University, reviews Latinos and the New Immigrant Church. The book provides a history of the emergence of Latino Catholic Communities in the United States from the early twentieth century to the mid-1960s. Specifically, the book focuses on three groups of Latino Catholics in......
Edited by Ramiro Martinez, Florida International University; and Abel Valenzuela, Jr., University of California, Los Angeles
Reviewed by Orlando Rodriguez, Fordham University
Immigration and Crime
Orlando Rodriguez, Professor of Sociology at Fordham University, reviews Immigration and Crime. The book considers immigrants’ contribution to crime in proportion to their population in the United States. The studies included in the text conclude that immigrants’ involvement in crime is lesser than that of the second generation born in......
Book by Elspeth Guild, Queen Mary, University of London
Reviewed by Willem Maas, Glendon College, York University
The Legal Elements of European Identity: EU Citizenship and Migration Law
Willem Maas, Associate Professor of Political Science, Public & International Affairs, Social & Political Thought, and Socio-Legal Studies at Glendon College, York University, reviews The Legal Elements of European Identity: EU Citizenship and Migration Law. The book questions how increased European Union immigration and more extensive citizenship law affect the formation of......
Volume 41, Issue 1, Spring 2007
Racial Politics in an Era of Transnational Citizenship: The 1996 “Asian Donorgate” Controversy in Perspective
Book by Michael Chang
Elusive Citizenship: Immigration, Asian Americans, and the Paradox of Civil Rights
Book by John S. W. Park, University of California, Santa Barbara
Probationary Americans: Contemporary Immigration Policies and the Shaping of Asian American Communities
Book by Edward J. W. Park, Loyola Marymount University; and John S. W. Park, University of California, Santa Barbara
Reviewed by Linda Trinh Võ, University of California, Irvine
Racial Politics in an Era of Transnational Citizenship: The 1996 “Asian Donorgate” Controversy in Perspective
Linda Trinh Võ, Professor of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Irvine, reviews three books: (1) Racial Politics in an Era of Transnational Citizenship: The 1996 “Asian Donorgate” Controversy in Perspective; (2) Elusive Citizenship: Immigration, Asian Americans, and the Paradox of Civil Rights; (3) Probationary Americans: Contemporary Immigration......
Book by Stephane Dufoix, University of Paris X-Nanterre
Reviewed by Roger Waldinger, University of California, Los Angeles
Les Diasporas
Roger Waldinger, Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles, reviews Les Diasporas. The book looks at diaspora in an academic sense as well as a social process. It offers a framework for comparing diasporas in terms of the relationships between homelands and the dispersed populations. Read the......
Edited by Klaus F. Zimmermann, Bonn University
Reviewed by Willem Maas, Glendon College, York University
European Migration: What Do We Know?
Willem Maas, Associate Professor of Political Science, Public & International Affairs, Social & Political Thought, and Socio-Legal Studies at Glendon College, York University, reviews European Migration: What Do We Know? The book studies and evaluates migration in Europe since World War II in terms of policy shifts and by measuring immigrant......
Book by Pontus Odmalm, University of Sussex
Reviewed by Gökçe Yurdakul, University of Toronto
Migration Policies and Political Participation: Inclusion or Intrusion in Western Europe
Gökçe Yurdakul, of University of Toronto, reviews Migration Policies and Political Participation: Inclusion or Intrusion in Western Europe. The book compares immigration, migration, and citizenship policies, political structures, and migrant organizations in Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. The main questions raised are how immigrants participate in......
Volume 40, Issue 4, Winter 2006
Edited by Anthony M. Messina, University of Notre Dame; and Gallya Lahav, State University of New York at Stony Brook
Reviewed by Fiorella Dell'Olio, University of Cambridge
The Migration Reader: Exploring Politics and Policies
Fiorella Dell’Olio, of the University of Cambridge, reviews The Migration Reader: Exploring Politics and Policies. The book is a broad overview of problems that international migration raises. Directed at students, the anthology seeks to share the main issues and trends associated with migration. The editors decide that migration causes many dilemmas......
Being Buddhist in a Christian World: Gender and Community in a Korean American Temple
Book by Sharon Suh, Seattle University
Faithful Generations: Race and New Asian American Churches
Book by Russell Jeung, San Francisco State University
Religion and Immigration: Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Experiences in the United States
Edited by Yvonne Yatzbeck Haddad, Georgetown University; Jane I. Smith, Hartford Seminary; and John L. Esposito, Georgetown University
Reviewed by Pyong Gap Min, Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York
Being Buddhist in a Christian World: Gender and Community in a Korean American Temple
Pyong Gap Min, Professor of Sociology at Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, reviews three books: (1) Being Buddhist in a Christian World: Gender and Community in a Korean American Temple, (2) Faithful Generations: Race and New Asian American Churches, and (3) Religion and......
Book by Robert Courtney Smith, Baruch College and Graduate Center of the City University of New York
Reviewed by Rubén Hernández-León, University of California, Los Angeles
Mexican New York: Transnational Lives of New Immigrants
Rubén Hernández-León, Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles, reviews Mexican New York: Transnational Lives of New Immigrants. The book studies two generations of Mexican migration to New York over a 15 year span. The author focuses on how assimilation has given rise to transnationalism, focusing on......
Book by Karen E. Richman, University of Notre Dame
Reviewed by Stephen D. Glazier, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Migration and Voodoo
Stephen D. Glazier, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, reviews Migration and Voodoo. The book is about Haitian religious rituals, particularly the use of audio cassette “letters” used to communicate with relatives in Haiti and the United States, as well as the lwa (Voodoo spirits). It......
Edited by Pyong Gap Min, Queens College and the Graduate School of the City University of New York
Reviewed by Natalie P. Byfield, Black Media Foundation, New York; Fordham University
Encyclopedia of Racism in the United States
Natalie P. Byfield, PhD. candidate in Philosophy and Sociology at Fordham University, reviews Encyclopedia of Racism in the United States. The book is the first of its kind, an encyclopedia whose sole focus is racism in the United States. The history is presents spans topics from the early days of......
Volume 40, Issue 3, Fall 2006
Edited by Elzbieta M. Gozdziak, Georgetown University; and Susan F. Martin, Georgetown University
Reviewed by Caroline B. Brettell, Southern Methodist University
Beyond the Gateway: Immigrants in a Changing America
Caroline B. Brettell, Professor of Anthropology at Southern Methodist University, reviews Beyond the Gateway: Immigrants in a Changing America. The book is about immigrant settlement in nontraditional parts of the United States such as Minneapolis and Atlanta. One of the main focuses is how these communities have responded to the......
Book by Noah Pickus, Duke University
Reviewed by Jonathan M. Hansen, Harvard University
True Faith and Allegiance: Immigration and American Civic Nationalism
Jonathan M. Hansen, Senior Lecturer on Social Studies at Harvard University, reviews True Faith and Allegiance: Immigration and American Civic Nationalism. The book is about how liberal states define national identity and the importance that shared characteristics hold in the creation of that national identity. The author writes that in......
Book by Daniel Eli Burnstein, Seattle University
Reviewed by Mary Elizabeth Brown, Marymount Manhattan College
Next to Godliness: Confronting Dirt and Despair in Progressive Era New York City
Mary Elizabeth Brown, Archivist at Marymount Manhattan College, reviews Next to Godliness: Confronting Dirt and Despair in Progressive Era New York City. The book is about street cleaning in New York City from the 1890s to World War I. The author argues that this development was part of a social......
Edited by Pyong Gap Min, Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York
Reviewed by Margaret M. Chin, Hunter College
Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues
Margaret M. Chin, Professor of Sociology at Hunter College, reviews Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues. This collection of individually written chapters examines the issues that Asian Americans face. The text contemplates the topic through chapters dedicated to pan-Asian Americans, as well as Asian Americans separated by ethnicity and countries of origin.......
Edited by Joan DeBardeleben, Carleton University
Reviewed by Boyka Stefanova, The University of Texas at San Antonio
Soft or Hard Borders? Managing the Divide in an Enlarged Europe
Boyka Stefanova, Professor of Political Science and Geography at the University of Texas at San Antonio, reviews Soft or Hard Borders? Managing the Divide in an Enlarged Europe. The book is about the territorial expansion of the European Union. The prime focus is the relationship between the EU and its......
Volume 40, Issue 2, Summer 2006
Edited by R. Alba, State University of New York at Albany; P. Schmidt, Justus Liebig University, Gießen; and M. Wasmer, Center for Survey Research and Methodology (ZUMA), Mannheim
Reviewed by Claudia Diehl, German Federal Institute for Population Studies
Germans or Foreigners? Attitudes Toward Ethnic Minorities in Post-Reunification Germany
Claudia Diehl, Academic Counsellor at the German Federal Institute for Population Studies, reviews Germans or Foreigners? Attitudes toward Ethnic Minorities in Post-Reunification Germany. The book is about Germans’ attitudes towards ethnic minorities, particularly negative attitudes of prejudice, ethnocentrism, anti-Semitism, etc. The data used is from the ALLBUS, a cross-sectional general social......
Book by Nancy Foner, Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York
Reviewed by Maritsa V. Poros, Illinois Institute of Technology
In a New Land: A Comparative View of Immigration
Maritsa V. Poros, Assistant Professor of Social Sciences at the Illinois Institute of Technology, reviews In a New Land: A Comparative View of Immigration. Serving as a comparison of New York’s immigrants, the book touches on several topics— gender, race, generation, location, among others. For example, the author compares a single population,......
Book by Simon Green, University of Birmingham
Reviewed by William M. Chandler, University of California, San Diego
The Politics of Exclusion: Institutions and Immigration Policy in Contemporary Germany
William M. Chandler, Professor of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego, reviews The Politics of Exclusion: Institutions and Immigration Policy in Contemporary Germany. The book is about four decades of immigration policy evolution in Germany. Despite immigration to Germany, Germany did not see itself as a nation......
Edited by Zahid H. Bukhari, Georgetown University; Sulayman S. Nyang, Howard University; Mumtaz Ahmad, Hampton University; and John L. Esposito, Georgetown University
Reviewed by Emily H. Mahon, CUNY Graduate Center
Muslims’ Place in the American Public Square: Hopes, Fears, and Aspirations
Emily H. Mahon, Ph.D. candidate from CUNY Graduate Center, reviews Muslims’ Place in the American Public Square: Hopes, Fears, and Aspirations. The book is about the challenges faced by Muslims in America such as identity, participation and conduct in a non-Muslim society. It also discusses how American Muslims, who now......
Book by Christian Joppke, University of Bern
Reviewed by Richard Alba, The University at Albany, SUNY
Selecting by Origin: Ethnic Migration in the Liberal State
Richard Alba, Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University at Albany, SUNY, reviews Selecting by Origin: Ethnic Migration in the Liberal State. The book is about the selection criteria in immigration policies of liberal states. For example, states often prefer highly skilled or educated immigrants who would strengthen the nation,......
New Destinations: Mexican Immigration in the United States:
Edited by V. Zúñiga, Universidad de Monterrey; and R. Hernández-León, University of California, Los Angeles
Apple Pie & Enchiladas: Latino Newcomers in the Rural Midwest:
Edited by A. V. Millard, Texas A&M University System Health Science Center; and J. Chapa, Indiana University, Bloomington
The American South in a Global World:
Edited by J. L. Peacock, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; H. L. Watson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and C. R. Matthews, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Reviewed by William Kandel, U.S. Department of Agriculture
New Destinations: Mexican Immigration in the United States
William Kandel, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, reviews three books: (1) New Destinations: Mexican Immigration in the United States; (2) Apple Pie & Enchiladas: Latino Newcomers in the Rural Midwest; (3) The American South in a Global World. All three books are about immigrant population growth in nontraditional destinations......
Volume 40, Issue 1, Spring 2006
Book by Andrew Geddes, University of Liverpool
Reviewed by Emek M. Ucarer, Bucknell University
The Politics of Migration and Immigration in Europe
Emek M. Ucarer, Professor of International Relations at Bucknell University, reviews The Politics of Migration and Immigration in Europe. The book is a comparison of migrant politics in European countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and others. The following topics are covered in the book: welfare,......
Book by Samuel L. Baily, Rutgers University
Reviewed by Arturo Ignacio Sánchez, LaGuardia Community College
Immigrants in the Lands of Promise: Italians in Buenos Aires and New York City, 1870 to 1914
Arturo Ignacio Sánchez, a Professor in the Humanities Department at LaGuardia Community College, reviews Immigrants in the Lands of Promise: Italians in Buenos Aires and New York City, 1870-1914. The book provides a historical comparative study of Italian immigrants in New York City and Buenos Aires. In New York City,......
Book by Thomas P. Barnett, Naval War College
Reviewed by Mark J. Miller, University of Delaware
Pentagon’s New Map: War and Peace in the Twenty-First Century
Mark J. Miller, Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Delaware, reviews Pentagon’s New Map: War and Peace in the Twenty-First Century. The book speaks to the connection between migration and security. It emphasizes the importance of globalization, especially as close relationship between different regions of the......
Book by Kathryn Spellman, Huron International University in London and Syracuse University, London Campus
Reviewed by Shahram Khosravi, Stockholm University
Religion and Nation: Iranian Local and Transnational Networks in Britain
Shahram Khosravi, Associate Professor of Social Anthropology at Stockholm University, reviews Religion and Nation: Iranian Local and Transnational Networks in Britain. The book is about Iranian immigrant religious practices and how they reconstruct identities in Britain. The author states that as many Iranian Muslims sought refuge in Europe from Iran’s......
Book by David M. Reimers, New York University
Reviewed by Elliott R. Barkan, California State University, San Bernardino
Other Immigrants: The Global Origins of the American People
Elliott R. Barkan, Professor of History at California State University, San Bernardino, reviews Other Immigrants: The Global Origins of the American People. The book is about the greater diversity of immigrants to the United States since 1965 and focuses on immigrants from Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa. The......
Book by Patricia E. Roy, University of Victoria
Reviewed by Anthony B. Chan, University of Washington
The Oriental Question: Consolidating a White Man’s Province, 1914–41
Anthony B. Chan, Professor of Communication at the University of Washington, reviews The Oriental Question: Consolidating a White Man’s Province, 1914-41. The book is about the attempt of many European Canadians to prevent Asian immigration and presence in Canada by enacting harsh racist laws and media images. The text also......
Volume 39, Issue 4, Winter 2005
Book by Jennifer Gordon, Fordham School of Law
Reviewed by Alexandra Delano, Oxford University
Suburban Sweatshops: The Fight for Immigrant Rights
Alexandra Delano, of Oxford University, reviews Suburban Sweatshops: The Fight for Immigrant Rights. The book is about the increase in immigrants in suburban America as opposed to urban areas and the reemergence of what the author describes as “sweatshop labor.” The author focuses her study on Latino immigrants, mainly from......
Edited by Rinus Penninx, University of Amsterdam; Karen Kraal, University of Amsterdam; Marco Martiniello, University of Liege, Belgium; and Steven Vertovec, University of Oxford
Reviewed by Peter Reinsch, Utrecht University
Citizenship in European Cities: Immigrants, Local Politics and Integration Policies
Peter Reinsch, of Utrecht University, reviews Citizenship in European Cities: Immigrants, Local Politics and Integration Policies. This book considers the legal-political, socioeconomic, cultural, and religious rights and opportunities associated with citizenship, which is examined along these lines in 17 local governments of Europe and Israel. Read the book review at https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-7379.2005.tb00297.xa..........
Book by James A. Tyner, Kent State University
Reviewed by Patricia Pessar, Yale University
Made in the Philippines: Gendered Discourses and the Making of Migrants
Patricia Pessar, Professor of Anthropology, American Studies, and African American Studies at Yale University, reviews Made in the Philippines: Gendered Discourses and the Making of Migrants. The book is about Filipino migration and the Philippines government’s promotion of international migration as a method to gain capital. The author argues that......
Book by June Granatir Alexander, University of Cincinnati
Reviewed by John Radzilowski, University of St. Thomas
Ethnic Pride and American Patriotism: Slovaks and Other New Immigrants in the Interwar Era
John Radzilowski, Professor of History at the University of St. Thomas, reviews Ethnic Pride and American Patriotism: Slovaks and Other New Immigrants in the Interwar Era. The book is about how Slovak Americans defined themselves during the period between the two world wars. The author describes Slovak American identity during......
Edited by Nancy Foner, State University of New York, Purchase; and George M. Fredrickson, Stanford University
Reviewed by Reynolds Farley, University of Michigan
Not Just Black and White: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on Immigration, Race, and Ethnicity in the United States
Reynolds Farley, Research Professor at the Population Studies Center and Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan, reviews Not Just Black and White: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on Immigration, Race, and Ethnicity in the United States. The book is about the demographic shifts in the United States and changing......
Book by Frank Caestecker, University of Ghent
Reviewed by Marco Martiniello, Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique Universite de Liege
Alien Policy in Belgium, 1840-1940. The Creation of Guest Workers, Refugees and Illegal Aliens
Marco Martiniello, of the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique Universite de Liège, reviews Alien Policy in Belgium, 1840-1940. The Creation of Guest Workers, Refugees and Illegal Aliens. Belgian alien policy is the focus of the book. It is divided chronologically, beginning with a description of 19th century policy. It......
Edited by Fran Markowitz, Ben-Gurion University; and Anders H. Stefansson, University of Copenhagen
Reviewed by Lynellyn D. Long
Homecomings: Unsettling Paths of Return
Lynellyn D. Long, an independent consultant, reviews Homecomings:Unsettling Paths of Return. The book is about return migration, specifically the concept of homecoming. The author defines homecomings as “future-oriented social projects based on attachment to natal or ancestral homelands which lead to dramatic encounters in these places.” The book also explores......
Book by Ana Y. Ramos-Zayas, Rutgers University
Reviewed by O. Hugo Benevides, Fordham University
National Performances: The Politics of Class, Race, and Space in Puerto Rican Chicago
O. Hugo Benevides, Professor of Anthropology at Fordham University, reviews National Performances: The Politics of Class, Race, and Space in Puerto Rican Chicago. The book is about the performance of Puerto Rican identity and nationalism in Chicago. The author attempts to weave together elements of cultural and economic nationalism. Read the......
Book by Nicholas DeGenova, Columbia University; and Ana Y. Ramos-Zayas, Rutgers University
Reviewed by Arturo Ignacio Sánchez, LaGuardia Community College, CUNY
Latino Crossings: Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and the Politics of Citizenship
Arturo Ignacio Sánchez, a Professor in the Humanities Department at LaGuardia Community College, reviews Latino Crossings: Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and the Politics of Citizenship. The book is about Mexicans and Puerto Ricans in two ethnically iconic neighborhoods in Chicago. The authors challenge conventionally accepted ideas such as a shared sense......
Book by Caroline Brettell, Southern Methodist University
Reviewed by Hanley Seif
Anthropology and Migration: Essays on Transnationalism, Ethnicity and Identity
Hanley Seif reviews Anthropology and Migration: Essays on Transnationalism, Ethnicity and Identity. The book is about Portuguese migration, primarily to Canada and France, with focus on the anthropological approach to migration, return migration, and transnationalism. Her book serves as a broad overview of Portuguese migration. Read the book review at https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-7379.2005.tb00297.xi..........
Volume 39, Issue 3, Fall 2005
Book by Dirk Hoerder, Universität Bremen
Reviewed by Triadafilos Triadafilopoulos, University of Toronto
Cultures in Contact: World Migrations in the Second Millennium
Triadafilos Triadafilopoulos, Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto, reviews Cultures in Contact: World Migrations in the Second Millennium. The book seeks to provide a history of migration around the world for the last one thousand years without the “Atlanto-centric” perspective commonly employed. This more comprehensive view of......
Book by Betigül Ercan Argun
Reviewed by Dirk Jacobs, Université Libre de Bruxelles and KUBrussel
Turkey in Germany: The Transnational Sphere of Deutschkei
Dirk Jacobs, Professor of Sociology at Université Libre de Bruxelles and KUBrussel, reviews Turkey in Germany: The Transnational Sphere of Deutschkei. The book attempts to improve understanding of Turkish politics by examining Turkish society outside of Turkey, specifically in Germany. Due to Germany’s relative political liberalism, Turkish political ideas can......
Edited by Daniel D. Arreola, Arizona State University
Reviewed by Altha J. Cravey, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Hispanic Spaces, Latino Places: Community and Cultural Diversity in Contemporary America
Altha J. Cravey, Professor of Geography at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, reviews Hispanic Spaces, Latino Places: Community and Cultural Diversity in Contemporary America. The book describes local places in the United States that are claimed or transformed by Latinos. The book makes use of census maps......
Book by Krishnendu Ray, Culinary Institute of America
Reviewed by Diditi Mitra, Brookdale Community College
The Migrant’s Table: Meals and Memories in Bengali-American Households
Diditi Mitra, Professor of Sociology at Brookdale Community College, reviews The Migrant’s Table: Meals and Memories in Bengali-American Households. The book is about the relationship between food and the construction of identity among middle-class Hindu Bengali-Americans. The study is based on a survey of Bengali-American households and an ethnography of......
Book by Joel S. Fetzer, Pepperdine University; and J. Christopher Soper, Pepperdine University
Reviewed by Sara Ohly, Yale University
Muslims and the State in Britain, France, and Germany
Sara Ohly, a board member of the Urban Resources Institute at Yale University, reviews Muslims and the State in Britain, France, and Germany. The book is a comparative study on accommodation of Muslim religious rights in Britain, France, and Germany. Accommodation is measured by Muslim religious practices and teaching in......
Edited by Marlene Epp, Conrad Grebel University College, University of Waterloo; Franca Iacovetta, University of Toronto; and Frances Swyripa, University of Alberta
Reviewed by Christiane Harzig, University of Winnipeg
Sisters or Strangers? Immigrant, Ethnic, and Racialized Women in Canadian History
Christiane Harzig, recipient of the Canada Council’s John G. Diefenbaker Award at University of Winnipeg, reviews Sisters or Strangers? Immigrant, Ethnic, and Racialized Women in Canadian History. The book is about marginalized women in Canadian history due to racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination. Examples include missionary and aboriginal encounters, the......
Book by Vivian S. Louie, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Reviewed by Nancy López, University of New Mexico
Compelled to Excel: Immigration, Education, and Opportunity Among Chinese Americans
Nancy López, Professor of Sociology at the University of New Mexico, reviews Compelled to Excel: Immigration, Education, and Opportunity Among Chinese Americans. The book is about how Chinese American young adults from a diverse range of economic backgrounds view their educational choices and ambitions. The respondents represent a range of......
Book by Frank N.Pieke, St. Cross College, University of Oxford; Pal Nyiri, Central European University, Budapest; Mette Thuno, University of Copenhagen; and Antonella Ceccagno, University of Bologna
Reviewed by Madeline Y.Hsu, San Francisco State University
Transnational Chinese: Fujianese Migrants in Europe
Madeline Y. Hsu, Professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University, reviews Transnational Chinese: Fujianese Migrants in Europe. The book is about Chinese migrants from Mingxi and Fuqing who migrated to Italy, Hungary, Denmark, Britain, and the United States. The study focuses on working class Chinese, often unauthorized......
Edited by Douglas S. Massey, Princeton University; and J. Edward Taylor, University of California, Davis
Reviewed by Jorge Martínez Pizarro, Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Centre (CELADE), Santiago, Chile
Translated by Rodolfo Soriano-Núñez
International Migration: Prospects and Policies in a Global Market
Jorge Martínez Pizarro, of the Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Centre (CELADE), reviews International Migration: Prospects and Policies in a Global Market. The book deals with policies in sending countries, such as remittances, exportation of workers, and return migration. The author also highlights receiving countries’ policies, such as admission, asylum, and......
Book by Beth Baker-Cristales, California State University, Los Angeles
Reviewed by Sarah J. Mahler, Florida International University
Salvadoran Migration to Southern California: Redefining El Hermano Lejano
Sarah J. Mahler, Professor of Anthropology at Florida International University, reviews Salvadoran Migration to Southern California: Redefining El Hermano Lejano. The book is about how Salvadoran migrants in Los Angeles negotiate transnational politics and identity. The main focus is migrant practices that show transnationalism such as hometown associations, migrant community......
Book by Peter Conolly-Smith, Union County College
Reviewed by David M. Reimers, New York University
Translating America: An Immigrant Press Visualizes American Popular Culture, 1895-1918
David M. Reimers, Professor of History at New York University, reviews Translating America: An Immigrant Press Visualizes American Popular Culture, 1895-1918. The book is about the German American community in New York City and their encounter with American culture. The author’s American culture sources include three German language newspapers, music,......
Edited by Ernesto Sagas, Southern New Hampshire University; and Sintia E. Molina, St. Francis College
Reviewed by Norma Fuentes, Fordham University
Dominican Migration: Transnational Perspectives
Norma Fuentes, Professor of Sociology at Fordham University, reviews Dominican Migration: Transnational Perspectives. The book is about transnationalism among Dominican migrants of different citizenship, class, gender, etc. It addresses how the diaspora has affected political and economic participation and how identity is constructed among lower and upper class Dominicans. In regards......
Book by Him Mark Lai
Reviewed by Judy Yung, University of California, Santa Cruz
Becoming Chinese American: A History of Communities and Institutions
Judy Yung, Professor of American Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, reviews Becoming Chinese American: A History of Communities and Institutions. This anthology looks at the geographic origins of Chinese immigration to the United States and their ethnic and migrant organizations. The chapters of the book discuss huiguan, native place......
Book by Fungchatou T. Lo, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
Reviewed by Caroline L. Faulkner, University of Wisconsin - Madison
The Promised Land: Socioeconomic Reality of the Hmong People in Urban America (1976-2000)
Caroline L. Faulkner, lecturer in Sociology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, reviews The Promised Land: Socioeconomic Reality of the Hmong People in Urban America (1976-2000). The book seeks to uncover the level of assimilation of Hmong refugees in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The author provides a detailed background of the Hmong’s life......
Edited by Filippo Osella, University of Sussex; and Katy Gardner, University of Sussex
Reviewed by Mary Beth Mills, Colby College
Migration, Modernity, and Social Transformation in South Asia
Mary Beth Mills, Professor of Anthropology at Colby College, reviews Migration, Modernity, and Social Transformation in South Asia. The book provides a wide array of ethnographic studies on current migration in South Asia that challenge stereotypical patterns of migration. Examples come from Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan and cover......
Volume 39, Issue 2, Summer 2005
Book by Ioanna Laliotou, University of Thessaly
Reviewed by Yiorgos Kalogeras, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Transatlantic Subjects: Acts of Migration and Cultures of Transnationalism between Greece and America
Yiorgos Kalogeras, Professor of English at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, reviews Transatlantic Subjects: Acts of Migration and Cultures of Transnationalism between Greece and America, by Ioanna Laliotou. The book is about the formation of migrant subjectivity among Greek migrants to the United States. It contrasts the subject of migration in......
Book by Sonya Salamon, University of Illinois
Reviewed by William A. Kandel, Economic Research Service, USDA
Newcomers to Old Towns: Suburbanization of the Heartland
William A. Kandel, Sociologist at the Economic Research Service, USDA, reviews Newcomers to Old Towns: Suburbanization of the Heartland, by Sonya Salamon. The book is about migration to rural Midwestern towns in Illinois that are typically characterized as close knit, agrarian, and egalitarian. Comparisons are drawn between demographically dormant towns, affluent......
Book by Vic Satzewich, McMaster University
Reviewed by Lubomyr Y. Luciuk, Royal Military College of Canada
The Ukrainian Diaspora
Lubomyr Y. Luciuk, Professor of Political Geography at the Royal Military College of Canada, reviews The Ukrainian Diaspora, by Vic Satzewich. The book is about Ukrainian immigration to the United States. It explores the concept of return, both symbolic and actual, and the author questions why few Ukrainians returned to their......
Book by Mark Dow
Reviewed by Michael Welch, Rutgers University
American Gulag: Inside U.S. Immigration Prisons
Michael Welch, Professor of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, reviews American Gulag: Inside U.S. Immigration Prisons, by Mark Dow. The book is about the experiences of those detained by U.S. immigration authorities. Public concern is lacking on the racism, classism, mistreatment, sexual abuse, and violation of human rights that occurs in......
Edited by Edward Newman, United Nations University; and Joanne van Selm, Migration Policy Institute
Reviewed by Mauro De Lorenzo, University of Oxford
Refugees and Forced Displacement: International Security, Human Vulnerability, and the State
Mauro De Lorenzo, of the University of Oxford, reviews Refugees and Forced Displacement: International Security, Human Vulnerability, and the State, by Edward Newman and Joanne van Selm. The book seeks to place refugees at the center of the international security discussion. The author argues that refugees are often the cause and......
Book by Gilbert G. Gonzalez, University California, Irvine; and Raul A. Fernandez, University California, Irvine
Reviewed by Nestor Rodriguez, University of Houston
A Century of Chicano History: Empire, Nations, and Migration
Nestor Rodriguez, Professor of Sociology at the University of Houston, reviews A Century of Chicano History: Empire, Nations, and Migration, by Gilbert G. Gonzalez and Raul A. Fernandez. The book argues that Chicano history should be examined from the perspective of domination by the United States. It questions when Chicano history......
Edited by Jo Boyden Refugee Studies Centre, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford; and Joanna de Berry
Reviewed by Siobhan McEvoy-Levy, Butler University
Children and Youth on the Front Line: Ethnography, Armed Conflict and Displacement
Siobhan McEvoy-Levy, Professor of Political Science at Butler University, reviews Children and Youth on the Front Line: Ethnography, Armed Conflict and Displacement, by Jo Boyden and Joanna de Berry. The book is about the experience of minors in conflict as well as how they shape culture, society, and war. The book......
Book by Abdelmalek Sayad, CNRS National Centre for Sociological Research; translated by David Macey
Reviewed by Jeffrey M. Togman, Seton Hall University
The Suffering of the Immigrant
Jeffrey M. Togman, Professor of Political Science and Film at Seton Hall University, reviews The Suffering of the Immigrant, by Abdelmalek Sayad. The book is about immigration from the sending country’s perspective, rather than the receiving country’s perspective, which is more prevalent in academic literature. This work highlights the destructive nature......
Edited by Jennifer Lee, University of California, Irvine; and Min Zhou, University of California, Los Angeles
Reviewed by Pyong Gap Min, Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York
Asian American Youth: Culture, Identity, and Ethnicity
Pyong Gap Min, Professor of Sociology at the Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University, reviews Asian American Youth: Culture, Identity, and Ethnicity, by Jennifer Lee and Min Zhou. The book is mainly about the children of post- 1965 Asian immigration, particularly 1.5 and second-generation. It focuses on......
Edited by Steven Shulman, Colorado State University
Reviewed by Nelson Lim, RAND
The Impact of Immigration on African Americans
Nelson Lim, Adjunct Senior Sociologist at RAND, reviews The Impact of Immigration on African Americans, by Steven Shulman. The book is about the perceived correlation between immigration and unemployment among native workers, particularly African Americans. The editor argues that immigrants will push natives farther down the social hierarchy. He argues for a......
Book by Simon Haddad, Notre-Dame University - Lebanon
Reviewed by Joseph Chamie, United Nations
The Palestinian Impasse in Lebanon: The Politics of Refugee Integration
Joseph Chamie, Director of the United Nations Population Division, reviews The Palestinian Impasse in Lebanon: The Politics of Refugee Integration, by Simon Haddad. The book is about the attitudes of Palestinian refugees and Lebanese towards each other, and whether resettlement in Lebanon is a viable option. An overwhelming majority of......
Book by Peter Kivisto, Augustana College
Reviewed by Ewald R. Engelen, University of Amsterdam
Multiculturalism in a Global Society
Ewald R. Engelen, Professor of Geography at the University of Amsterdam, reviews Multiculturalism in a Global Society, by Peter Kivisto. The book argues that the separation of the concepts ethnicity and nationality lead to a globalized society. It focuses on the multiculturalism of citizenship. Increasing migration and ethno-nationalism have forced nation......
Volume 39, Issue 1, Spring 2005
Book by Nancy Foner, Baruch College, City University of New York and State University of New York, College at Purchase
Reviewed by Hinda Seif, University of California, Berkeley
American Arrivals: Anthropology Engages the New Immigration
Hinda Seif, of the University of California, Berkeley, reviews American Arrivals: Anthropology Engages the New Immigration, by Nancy Foner. The book discusses anthropology’s distinctive role in the study of migration and how the field can contribute to migration as an academic discipline. The text is organized not by geographic region, but......
Book by Bill Jordan, Exeter and Huddersfield Universities; and Franck Düvell, Exeter University
Reviewed by Rainer Bauböck, Austrian Academy of Sciences- Institute for European Integration Research
Migration: The Boundaries of Equality and Justice
Rainer Bauböck, Senior Researcher at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, reviews Migration: The Boundaries of Equality and Justice, by Bill Jordan and Franck Düvell. The book outlines four different responses to the challenges of migration: nationalist approach, globalist approach, fiscal federalist approach, and ethical theorist approach. The book seeks to......
Book by José A. Pagán, University of Texas-Pan American
Reviewed by Kathleen Staudt, Professor of Political Science at the University of Texas at El Paso
Worker Displacement in the U.S./Mexico Border Region: Issues and Challenges
Kathleen Staudt, Professor of Political Science at the University of Texas at El Paso, reviews Worker Displacement in the U.S./Mexico Border Region: Issues and Challenges, by José A. Pagán. The book is about worker displacement along the Texas-Mexico border from the mid 1990s onward. The text also emphasizes that average income......
Book by Jennifer Lee University of California, Irvine
Reviewed by Kyeyoung Park, University of California at Los Angeles
Civility in the City: Blacks, Jews, and Koreans in Urban America
Kyeyoung Park, of University of California at Los Angeles, reviews Civility in the City: Blacks, Jews, and Koreans in Urban America, by Jennifer Lee. While other scholars emphasize “Black-Korean tension,” this book argues that most merchant-customer interactions between Korean immigrant merchants and black customers are, in fact, positive rather than negative. The......
Book by Maura I. Toto-Morn, ed., Illinois State University; and Marixsa Alicea, ed., DePaul University
Reviewed by Ruth M. Cullen, Fordham University
Migration and Immigration: A Global View; U.S. Migration: A Global View
Ruth M. Cullen, of Fordham University, reviews two books: (1) Migration and Immigration: A Global View and (2) U.S. Immigration: A Global View, by Maura I. Toto-Morn and Marixsa Alicea. These two books act as an introduction to immigration. The first book is organized by country, including information on each country’s......
Book by Ruba Salih, SOAS University of London
Reviewed by Anny Bakalian, Associate Director of the Middle East and Middle Eastern American Center
Gender in Transnationalism: Home, Longing and Belonging among Moroccan Migrant Women
Anny Bakalian, of The Middle East and Middle Eastern American Center, reviews Gender in Transnationalism: Home, Longing and Belonging among Moroccan Migrant Women, by Ruba Salih. The book examines migration through a gendered lens, emphasizing that for some women, migration is a result of their agency and choice, while others are......
Book by Uma A. Segal, University of Missouri- St. Louis
Reviewed by Cheng-Feng Shih, Professor in the Department of Public Administration and Institute of Public Policy at Tamkang University
A Framework for Immigration: Asians in the United States
Cheng-Feng Shih, of Tamkang University, reviews A Framework for Immigration: Asians in the United States, by Uma A. Segal. The book is about Asian immigration to the United States— specifically Chinese, Japanese, Indians, Filipinos, and Koreans. Topics focused on include background conditions in the home country, push and pull factors towards......
Books by Richard Alba, City University of New York & Victor Nee, Cornell University; Frank D. Bean, University of California, Irvine, and Gillian Stevens, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; and William A.V. Clark.
Reviewed by Thomas J. Archdeacon, Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin- Madison.
Remaking the American Mainstream: Assimilation and Contemporary Immigration; America’s Newcomers and the Dynamics of Diversity; Immigrants and the American Dream: Remaking the Middle Class
Thomas J. Archdeacon, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, reviews three books: (1) Remaking the American Mainstream: Assimilation and Contemporary Immigration, by Richard Alba and Victor Nee; (2) America’s Newcomers and the Dynamics of Diversity, by Frank D. Bean and Gillian Stevens; and (3) Immigrants and the American Dream: Remaking the Middle......
Book by Desmond Cahill, Professor of Intercultural Studies at RMIT University
Reviewed by Mary Elizabeth Brown, Marymount Manhattan College
Missionaries On the Move: A Pastoral History of the Scalabrinians in Australia and Asia 1952-2002
Mary Elizabeth Brown of Marymount Manhattan College reviews Missionaries On the Move: A Pastoral History of the Scalabrinians in Australia and Asia 1952-2002 by Desmond Cahill. This book presents a history of the Scalabrinians in Australia and Asia over a fifty year timespan. The Italian migrants and the Filipino workers left their......
Book by M. M. Suárez-Orozco, ed., University of California, Los Angeles; and M. M. Páez, ed., Boston College
Reviewed by Patricia Landolt, Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto
Latinos: Remaking America
Patricia Landolt of University of Toronto, reviews Latinos: Remaking America, by M. M. Suárez-Orozco, and M. M. Páez. This book questions what academics know and need to know about the Latino population in the United States. The book is broken down into several sections, such as, histories, migrations, communities, health, families, languages, education,......
Volume 38, Issue 4, Winter 2004
Book by Bill Jordan, University of Plymouth and Franck Düvell, German Centre for Integration and Migration Research
Reviewed by Thomas Faist, University of Toronto
Irregular Migration. The Dilemmas of Transnational Mobility
Thomas Faist of the University of Toronto reviews Irregular Migration. The Dilemmas of Transnational Mobility by Bill Jordan and Franck Düvell. Bill Jordan and Franck Düvell provide a theoretical framework for the analysis of mobility and border crossings in an age of globalization. It draws upon the authors’ pioneering research......
Book by Arianne M. Gaetano and Tamara Jacka, Australian National University
Reviewed by Li Zhang, University of California, Davis
On the Move: Women in Rural-to-Urban Migration in Contemporary China
Li Zhang of the University of California, Davis reviews On the Move: Women in Rural-to-Urban Migration in Contemporary China by Arianne M. Gaetano and Tamara Jacka. Arianne M. Gaetano and Tamara Jacka explore the impact of migration on the identities, values, worldviews, and social positions of migrant women in contemporary......
Book by Graham Davis, Bath Spa University College
Reviewed by Timothy Meagher, Catholic University of America
Land! Irish Pioneers in Mexican and Revolutionary Texas
Timothy Meagher of Catholic University of America reviews Land! Irish Pioneers in Mexican and Revolutionary Texas by Graham Davis. Graham Davis tells an Irish-Texan story of the search for land by recounting the experiences of the original empresarios John McMullen, James McGloin, James Power, and James Hewetson, and finishing the......
Book by Nicole Constable, University of Pittsburgh
Reviewed by Genelle Gaudinez, University of Southern California
Romance on a Global Stage: Pen Pals, Virtual Ethnography, and “Mail Order” Marriages
Genelle Gaudinez of the University of Southern California reviews Romance on a Global Stage: Pen Pals, Virtual Ethnography, and “Mail Order” Marriages by Nicole Constable. Nicole Constable explains that by the year 2000 more than 350 Internet agencies were plying the email-order marriage trade, and the business of matching up......
Book by Lynellyn D. Long, Johns Hopkins and Ellen Oxfeld, Middlebury College
Reviewed by Maxine L. Marcolis, University of Florida
Coming Home? Refugees, Migrants and those who Stayed Behind
Maxine L. Marcolis of University of Florida reviews Coming Home? Refugees, Migrants and those who Stayed Behind by Lynellyn D. Long and Ellen Oxfeld. Lynellyn D. Long and Ellen Oxfeld discuss how the pull of the familiar and the desire to begin anew are conflicting impulses for the nearly 180 million......
Book by Eytan Meyers, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Reviewed by Gary P. Freeman, University of Texas at Austin
International Immigration Policy: A Theoretical and Comparative Analysis
Gary P. Freeman of University of Texas at Austin reviews International Immigration Policy: A Theoretical and Comparative Analysis by Eytan Meyers. Eytan Meyers discusses the numerous studies that explore immigration policies of individual receiving countries. But these studies share several weaknesses. First and foremost, they are empirically orientated and lack......
Book by Ann Miles, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo
Reviewed by O. Hugo Benavides, Fordham University
From Cuenca to Queens: An Anthropological Story of Transnational Migration
O. Hugo Benavides of Fordham University reviews From Cuenca to Queens: An Anthropological Story of Transnational Migration by Ann Miles. Ann Miles writes on transnational migration as a controversial and much-discussed issue in both the popular media and the social sciences, but at its heart migration is about individual people making......
Book by Valsamis Mitsilegas, University of Kent, Jorg Monar, Sussex European Institue, and Wyn Rees, University of Nottingham
Reviewed by Orlando Rodriguez, Fordham University
The European Union and Internal Security. Guardian of the People?
Orlando Rodriguez of Fordham University reviews The European Union and Internal Security. Guardian of the People? by Valsamis Mitsilegas, Jorg Monar, and Wyn Rees. Valsamis Mitsilegas, Jorg Monar, and Wyn Rees show that during the post-Cold war period new security threats have arisen in Western Europe. Amongst these, organized crime......
Book by Arlene Dávila, New York University
Reviewed by Arturo Ignacio Sánchez, Barnard College
Barrio Dreams: Puerto Ricans, Latinos, and the Neoliberal City
Arturo Ignacio Sánchez of Barnard College reviews Barrio Dreams: Puerto Ricans, Latinos, and the Neoliberal City by Arlene Dávila. Arlene Dávila brilliantly considers the cultural politics of urban space in this lively exploration of Puerto Rican and Latino experience in New York, the global center of culture and consumption, where Latinos......
Book by Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, University of Southern California
Reviewed by Monica Boyd, University of Toronto
Gender and U.S. Immigration: Contemporary Trends
Monica Boyd of University of Toronto reviews Gender and U.S. Immigration: Contemporary Trends by Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo. Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo posits that resurgent immigration is one of the most powerful forces disrupting and realigning everyday life in the United States and elsewhere, and gender is one of the fundamental social categories anchoring and......
Volume 38, Issue 3, Fall 2004
Book by Phillip L. Martin, University of California, Davis
Reviewed by Leah Haus, Vassar College
Promise Unfulfilled: Unions, Immigration, and the Farm Workers
Leah Haus of Vassar College reviews Promise Unfulfilled: Unions, Immigration, and the Farm Workers by Phillip L. Martin. Philip L. Martin describes how in 1975, after vigorous campaigning by the United Farm Workers union, the state of California passed the Agricultural Labor Relations Act (ALRA), a pioneering self-help strategy granting farm......
Book by Roger Waldinger, University of California, Los Angeles, and Michael I. Lichter, State University of New York at Buffalo
Reviewed by Phillip Martin, University of California, Davis
How the Other Half Works: Immigration and the Social Organization of Labor
Phillip Martin of University of California, Davis, reviews How the Other Half Works: Immigration and the Social Organization of Labor by Roger Waldinger and Michael I. Lichter. Roger Waldinger and Michael I. Lichter solve the riddle of America’s contemporary immigration puzzle: why an increasingly high-tech society has use for so many......
Book by Daniel Levy, State University of New York, Stony Brook and Yfaat Weiss, Haifa University
Reviewed by David Abraham, University of Miami School of Law
Challenging Ethnic Citizenship: German and Israeli Perspectives on Citizenship
David Abraham of University of Miami School of Law reviews Challenging Ethnic Citizenship: German and Israeli Perspectives on Citizenship by Daniel Levy and Yfaat Weiss. Daniel Levy and Yfaat Weiss show tht in contrast to most other countries, both Germany and Israel have descent-based concepts of nationhood and have granted members......
Book by María de los Angeles Torres, University of Illinois in Chicago
Reviewed by Gaston A. Fernandez, Indiana State University
The Lost Apple: Operation Pedro Pan, Cuban Children in the U.S. and the Promise of a Better Future
Gaston A. Fernandez of Indiana State University reviews The Lost Apple: Operation Pedro Pan, Cuban Children in the U.S. and the Promise of a Better Future by María de los Angeles Torres. María de los Angeles Torres was six years old when she took part in a massive airlift, now......
Book by Liza Schuster, City University of London
Reviewed by Mark Gibney, University of North Carolina-Asheville
The Use and Abuse of Political Asylum in Britain and Germany
Mark Gibney of the University of North Carolina-Asheville reviews The Use and Abuse of Political Asylum in Britain and Germany by Liza Schuster. Liza Schuster analyses asylum in Britain and Germany from a historical and conceptual perspective, this book provides a comparative study of asylum and refugee policies. Governments in......
Book by James Jupp, Australian National University
Reviewed by Gary P. Freeman, University of Texas at Austin
From White Australia to Woomera: The Story of Australian Immigration
Gary P. Freeman of the University of Texas at Austin reviews From White Australia to Woomera: The Story of Australian Immigration by James Jupp. James Jupp provides a sober, historically informed yet critical account of immigration policy in Australia. Jupp, Australia’s leading specialist on migration, surveys the changes in policy......
Book by Erika Lee, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Reviewed by Elliott Robert Barkan, California State University, San Bernardino
At America’s Gates: Chinese Immigration during the Exclusion Era, 1882–1943
Elliott Robert Barkan of California State University, San Bernardino reviews At America’s Gates: Chinese Immigration during the Exclusion Era, 1882–1943 by Erika Lee. Erika Lee discusses the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which made Chinese laborers the first group in American history to be excluded from the United States on......
Book by Klaus F. Zimmermann, Bonn University and Thomas K. Bauer, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany
Reviewed by Simone Wegge, College of Staten Island and The Graduate Center - CUNY
The Economics of Migration, Vols. I-IV
Simone Wegge of the College of Staten Island reviews The Economics of Migration, Vols. I-IV by Klaus Zimmermann and Thomas Bauer. Klaus Zimmermann and Thomas Bauer show that in the age of globalization, the importance of migration for the industrialized countries has increased. Inflows of migrants have steadily risen in......
Book by Klaus J. Bade, Osnabrück University
Reviewed by Barbara Schmitter Heisler, Gettysburg College
Migration in European History
Barbara Schmitter Heisler of Gettysburg College reviews Migration in European History by Klaus Bade. Klaus Bade describes that since the fall of the Iron Curtain, migration has become a major cause for concern in many European countries, but migrations to, from and within Europe are nothing new. The book includes......
Book by Rieko Karatani, Kansai University
Reviewed by Jeannette Money, University of California, Davis
Defining British Citizenship. Empire, Commonwealth and Modern Britain
Jeannette Money of University of California, Davis reviews Defining British Citizenship. Empire, Commonwealth and Modern Britain by Rieko Karatani. Rieko Karatani seeks to explain the immigration and citizenship policies in Britain that repeatedly postponed the creation of British citizenship until 1981. Existing works concentrated on the reasons for the racially discriminatory......
Volume 38, Issue 1, Spring 2004
Book by Jeroen Doomernik and Hans Knippenberg, University of Amsterdam
Reviewed by Anthony M. Messina, University of Notre Dame
Migrants and Immigrants: Between Policy and Reality
Anthony M. Messina of University of Notre Dame reviews Migrants and Immigrants: Between Policy and Reality by Jeroen Doomernik and Hans Knippenberg. Jeroen Doomernik and Hans Knippenberg posit that one of the challenges to present Western welfare states is worldwide population mobility as part of the wider globalization process. Despite having......
Book by Wang Gungwu, Australian National University
Reviewed by Lucie Cheng, Shih Hsin University
Don’t Leave Home: Migration and the Chinese
Lucie Cheng of Shih Hsin University reviews Don’t Leave Home: Migration and the Chinese by Wang Gungwu. Wang Gungwu discusses that the Chinese overseas comprise the 25 million or more who left China to settle abroad, and their families and descendents. The essays in this book draw mainly from Southeast......
Book by John A. Garcia, University of Michigan
Reviewed by Louis DeSipio, University of California Irvine
Latino Politics in America: Community, Culture, and Interests
Louis DeSipio of University of California Irvine reviews Latino Politics in America: Community, Culture, and Interests by John A. García. John A. García shows that Latinos constitute the fastest-growing population in the United States today, and Latino political participation is growing rapidly. Still, Latino political power is not commensurate with......
Book by Peter S. Li, University of Saskatchewan
Reviewed by Eric Fong, University of Toronto
Destination Canada: Immigration Debates and Issues
Eric Fong of University of Toronto reviews Destination Canada: Immigration Debates and Issues by Peter S. Li. Peter Li assesses historical, social, demographic and economic merits of Canada’s immigration policies, arguing the scaling back Canada’s immigration program jeopardizes it national and international interests. Read the book review at https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-7379.2004.tb00199.xc..........
Book by Sarah Spencer, the Migration Observatory
Reviewed by Alexandra Delano, St. Anthony's College
The Politics of Migration: Managing Opportunity, Conflict and Change
Alexandra Delano of St. Anthony’s College reviews The Politics of Migration: Managing Opportunity, Conflict and Change by Sarah Spencer. Sarah Spencer explores the opportunities and tensions posed by unprecedented levels of migration and looks at the policy levers that governments must deploy to manage it effectively. The book consists of a......
Book by Peter C. Meilaender, Houghton College
Reviewed by David P. Lindstrom, Brown University
Toward a Theory of Immigration
David P. Lindstrom of Brown University reviews Toward a Theory of Immigration by Peter C. Meilaender. Peter Meilaender states that changes in the global political order have combined with dominant trends in liberal political philosophy to spark increasing scholarly criticism of the state’s traditional right to regulate immigration according to its......
Book by Alex Stepick, Guillermo Grenier, Marvin Dunn, Florida International University and Max Castro, University of Miami
Reviewed by Gaston A. Fernandez, Indiana State University
This Land is Our Land: Immigrants and Power in Miami
Gaston A. Fernandez of Indiana State University reviews This Land is Our Land: Immigrants and Power in Miami, by Alex Stepick, Guillermo Grenier, Marvin Dunn and Max Castro. The authors describe Miami as the de facto capital of Latin America; it is a city where immigrants dominate, Spanish is ubiquitous, and......
Book by Weili Ye, University of Massachusetts
Reviewed by Betty Lee Sung, City College of New York
Seeking Modernity in China’s Name: Chinese Students in the United States, 1900–1927
Betty Lee Sung of the City College of New York reviews Seeking Modernity in China’s Name: Chinese Students in the United States, 1900–1927 by Weili Ye. Weili Ye discusses how the students who came to the United States in the early twentieth century to become modern Chinese by studying at......
Book by Eva Østergaard-Nielsen, Autonomous University of Barcelona
Reviewed by Nedim Ögelman, University of Texas at Austin
Transnational Politics: Turks and Kurds in Germany
Nedim Ögelman of University of Texas at Austin reviews Transnational Politics: Turks and Kurds in Germany by Eva Østergaard-Nielsen. Eva Østergaard-Nielsen uses the Turkish and Kurdish communities in Germany as a case study, offering a unique analysis of trans-state political loyalties and activities of transnational communities and their political ramifications at......