American Dreaming, Global Realities: Rethinking U.S. Immigration History

Statue of Liberty -- Ellis Island Centennial Series

by Donna R. Gabaccia (Editor), Vicki L. Ruiz (Editor)

An introduction to the best from the new directions in U.S. immigration history


Representing a selection of the finest new research on immigration, American Dreaming, Global Realities explores the ways in which immigrant lives and those of their children are shaped by transnational bonds, globalization, family ties, and personal choice, and the ways in which they engender a sense of belonging and a sense of themselves as “Americans.” American Dreaming, Global Realities considers a plurality of very specific historical, economic, regional, familial, and cultural contexts. This history reveals resistance and accommodation, both persistent older traditions and Americanization, plus the creation of new cultural forms blending old and new. The twenty-two interdisciplinary essays included in this collection explore the intricate overlapping of race, class, and gender on ethnic identity and on American citizenship.

576 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Migdalia Jimenez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional collection of essays on the historical and contemporary issues of immigration. I especially enjoyed 'Partly Colored or Other White: Mexican Americans and their Problem with the Color Line' by Neil Foley which explored the way that Latinx people, Mexican-Americans in particular, have disrupted the black/white racial paradigm in the united States.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an anthology, so by necesity the quality of the works within are varied. However, on the whole it seemed to me an excellent contribution to transnational immigration/migration history. There were a few selections that were tepid or cumbersome (rural German-American article, for instance), and a couple that were fascinating studies but maintained serious analytical flaws (such as the Emma Lazarus essay conflating Zionism and Jewishness to the point that one would think they were inseparable), but, more often the selections were engaging and percussive. Must read if you're studying U.S. immigration and interested in transcending the "Ellis Island" narrative presented in highschool.