This is the first field study of the kind of lives that the most recent Irish immigrants have in New York City today. Working alongside new Irish illegals, Corcoran learned about their employment problems, their social relationships, and their communities and ties to Ireland. Teachers, and students, readers interested in issues of identity and ethnicity, immigration trends and problems, and the history of the Irish in the United States will enjoy this easy-to-read, first-hand account.

After all the green beer has been poured and the ubiquitous shamrocks fade away, what does it mean to be Irish American besides St. Patrick’s Day? Who’s Your Paddy traces the evolution of “Irish” as a race-based identity in the U.S. from the 19th century to the present day. Exploring how the Irish have been and continue to be socialized around race, Jennifer Nugent Duffy argues that Irish identity must be understood within the context of generational tensions between different waves of Irish immigrants as well as the Irish community’s interaction with other racial minorities. Using historic and ethnographic research, Duffy sifts through the many racial, class, and gendered dimensions of Irish-American identity by examining three distinct Irish cohorts in Greater New York: assimilated descendants of nineteenth-century immigrants; “white flighters” who immigrated to postwar America and fled places like the Bronx for white suburbs like Yonkers in the 1960s and 1970s; and the newer, largely undocumented migrants who began to arrive in the 1990s. What results is a portrait of Irishness as a dynamic, complex force in the history of American racial consciousness, pertinent not only to contemporary immigration debates but also to the larger questions of what it means to belong, what it means to be American.

Few issues have provoked as much controversy over the last decade as illegal immigration. While some argue for the need to seal America's borders and withdraw all forms of social and governmental support for illegal migrants and their children, others argue for humanitarian treatment—including legalization—for people who fill widely acknowledged needs in American industry and agriculture and have left home-country situations of economic hardship or political persecution. The study of illegal immigration necessarily confronts a broad range of migrants—from the familiar border crossers to those who enter illegally and overstay their visas, to the many unrecognized refugees who enter the country to seek protection under U.S. asylum law. The subject also demands attention to American society's responses to these newcomers—responses that often focus on limited elements of a complex issue. A comprehensive, up-to-date review of this volatile subject, this book provides an accessible, balanced introduction to the subject. Covering the full range of illegal immigrants from Mexican border crossers to Central American refugees, illegal Europeans, and smuggled Chinese, the book considers the kind of work the migrants do and the public response to them. The work is divided into four parts: Concepts, Policies, and Numbers; The Migrants and Their Work; The Responses; and Illegal Immigration in Perspective.

This two-volume reference work addresses the dynamic lives of undocumented immigrants in the United States and establishes these individuals' experiences as a key part of our nation's demographic and sociological evolution. This two-volume work supplies accessible and comprehensive coverage of this complex subject by consolidating the insights of hundreds of scholars who have studied the issues of undocumented immigration in the United States for years. It provides a historical perspective that underscores the exponential growth of the undocumented population in the last three decades and presents a more nuanced, more detailed, and therefore more accurate portrait of undocumented immigrants than is available in general media. Also included are recommended resources that will serve researchers seeking more information on topics regarding undocumented immigrants.

This book provides a unique insight into the lived realities of hate crime in Ireland and its treatment within the criminal justice system. The significance of the Irish case is contextualised within the European and global policy contexts and an overview of hate crime in Ireland, both north and south, and its differential treatment in each jurisdiction’s criminal justice system is offered. Presenting empirically grounded analyses of the experiences of commonly targeted identity groups in an Irish context, this study also draws upon their exposure to hate crime and challenges encountered in seeking redress. Combining theory, research and practice, this book represents legal, social, cultural and political concerns pertinent to understanding, preventing, deterring and combatting hate crime across Ireland. It incorporates a variety of perspectives on the hate crime paradigm and addresses many of the cutting-edge debates arising in the field of hate studies. Contributions from Irish and international academic researchers are complemented by applied pieces authored by practitioners and policy makers actively engaged with affected communities. This is a progressive and informed text which will be of great value to activists, policy makers and scholars of hate crime and criminal justice.

This encyclopedia is a unique collection of entries covering the arrival, adaptation, and integration of immigrants into American culture from the 1500s to 2010. Few topics inspire such debate among American citizens as the issue of immigration in the United States. Yet, it is the steady influx of foreigners into America over 400 years that has shaped the social character of the United States, and has favorably positioned this country for globalization. Immigrants in American History: Arrival, Adaptation, and Integration is a chronological study of the migration of various ethnic groups to the United States from 1500 to the present day. This multivolume collection explores dozens of immigrant populations in America and delves into major topical issues affecting different groups across time periods. For example, the first author of the collection profiles African Americans as an example of the effects of involuntary migrations. A cross-disciplinary approach—derived from the contributions of leading scholars in the fields of history, sociology, cultural development, economics, political science, law, and cultural adaptation—introduces a comparative analysis of customs, beliefs, and character among groups, and provides insight into the impact of newcomers on American society and culture.

Recent debates about national identity, belonging and community cohesion can appear to suggest that ethnicity is a static entity and that ethnic difference is a source of conflict in itself - Ethnicities and Values in a Changing World presents an alternative account of ethnicity. This volume brings together an international team of leading scholars in the field of ethnic studies in order to examine innovative articulations of ethnicity and challenge the contention that ethnicity is static or that it necessarily represents traditional values and cultures. It will appeal not only to sociologists, but to anyone working in the fields of cultural studies, race and ethnicity, globalization, migration and anthropology.