View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction.
2007 Choice Outstanding Academic Title!
"This book should be both a pleasure to read for both those who
are immersed in the study of immigration and those less versed in
the history and dynamics of these movements. For the latter, In a
New Land will provide an excellent and thought provoking
introduction. For the former . . . the book will stimulate thought
about how to better understand this complex process."
--Douglas Gurak, "Anthropology and Education Quarterly"
a[A] highly valuable contribution to the field. Both historians
and sociologists studying immigration will want to read this
book.a
--Deirdre M. Moloney, George Mason University
"This important and timely book encompasses a great deal. . . .
Foner's definition of race in the 21st century is
invaluable."
--"Choice," highly recommended
aExcellent reading for anyone interested in ethnicity, race, and
immigration patterns and policies.a
--Bryan Thompson, "Journal of American History"
aFoner does social science a great service, revealing . . . how
immigration functions in other contexts, past and present, and in
so doing unveiling the peculiarities of the United States as an
immigrant-receiving society.a
--Douglas Massey, "Contexts"
aImmensely readable and interesting. . . . Scholars and students
of immigration will surely find this book to be interesting,
instructive, and indispensable.a Maritsa Poros,
--"International Migration Review"
" In A New Land: A Comparative View of Immigration" uses
historical and modern research to provide new insights into todayas
immigrants and how they are affecting societies around the
world.a
--TheMidwest Book Review
aIn a New Land is the exceptionally well-written and thoughtful
work of one innovative comparativist.a
--Donna Gabaccia, "Journal of American Ethnic History"
"The author of a classic comparison of New York's current
immigration and that of a century ago, "From Ellis Island to JFK,"
Nancy Foner has now extended her use of comparative analysis both
topically and geographically. Besides looking further and deeper
into New York's immigrants 'then and now, ' she makes insightful
comparisons 'across space' between the experiences of West Indians
in contemporary New York and London and those of a range of recent
newcomers in New York and some other American cities. She concludes
with a discussion of the differences and similarities in how
immigration has been conceived and remembered in the United States
and Europe. The book is full of fresh information and new
interpretations. Most remarkable is her command of the vast social
scientific and historical literature that bears on her subject. In
a New Land sets a new standard for interdisciplinary comparative
studies."
--George M. Fredrickson, author of "Black Liberation: A Comparative
History of Black Ideologies in the United States and South
Africa"
"In a New Land is a luminous synthesis that, through astute
comparisons, sheds a bright light on key questions about
immigration. Foner has much to tell us about continuities and
change over the course of a century, the contextual contingencies
of race, and the uniqueness and universality of New York City. The
book is utterly refreshing."
--Richard Alba, author of "Remaking the American Mainstream:
Assimilation and Contemporary Immigration"
According to the2000 census, more than 10% of U.S. residents
were foreign born; together with their American-born children, this
group constitutes one fifth of the nation's population. What does
this mass immigration mean for America? Leading immigration studies
scholar, Nancy Foner, answers this question in her study of
comparative immigration. Drawing on the rich history of American
immigrants and current statistical and ethnographic data, In a New
Land compares todayas new immigrants with the past influxes of
Europeans to the United States and across cities and regions within
the United States. Foner looks at immigration across nation-states,
and over different periods of time, offering a comprehensive
assessment and analysis.
This original approach to the study of recent U.S. immigration
focuses on race and ethnicity, gender, and transnational
connections. Centering her analysis on the groups that have come
through and significantly shaped New York City, Foner compares
today's Latin American, Asian, and Caribbean newcomers with eastern
and southern European immigrants a century ago and with immigrants
in other major U.S. cities. Looking beyond the United States, Foner
compares West Indian immigrants in New York with those in London.
And, more generally, the book views the process of immigrantsa
integration in New York against other recent immigrant destinations
in Europe.
Drawing on a wealth of historical and contemporary research, and
written in a clear and lively style, In a New Land provides fresh
insights into the dynamics of immigration today and the
implications for where we are headed in the future.