Immigrant children and youth are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, and so their prospects bear heavily on the well-being of the country. However, relevant public policy is shaped less by informed discussion than by politicized contention over welfare reform and immigration limits. From Generation to Generation explores what we know about the development of white, black, Hispanic, and Asian children and youth from numerous countries of origin. Describing the status of immigrant children and youth as "severely understudied," the committee both draws on and supplements existing research to characterize the current status and outlook of immigrant children. The book discusses the many factorsâ€"family size, fluency in English, parent employment, acculturation, delivery of health and social services, and public policiesâ€"that shape the outlook for the lives of these children and youth. The committee makes recommendations for improved research and data collection designed to advance knowledge about these children and, as a result, their visibility in current policy debates.

"With an ethnographer's ear and a social critic's lens, Rhacel Salazar Parreñas illuminates the care deficit of the immigrant second generation, the children of transnational Filipino families left behind by mothers and fathers who labor in the global economy."--Eileen Boris, University of California, Santa Barbara

By linking the experiences of immigrant families with the increased reliance on cheap and flexible workers for care and domestic work in Southern Europe, this study documents the lived experiences of neglected actors of globalization -- migrant women -- as well as the transformations of Western families more generally. However, while describing in detail the structural and cultural contexts within which these women have to operate, the book questions dominant paradigms about women as passive victims of patriarchal structures and brings out instead their agency and the creative ways in which they take control of their lives in often difficult circumstances. Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork and interviews, the author offers a valuable dual comparison between two Southern European countries on the one hand and between two migrant groups, one Christian and one Muslim, on the other, thus bringing to light unique detailed data on migration decision-making, settlement and on the multiple ways in which different women cope with the consequences of their transnational lives.

Over the past three decades, migration has become the main driver of population growth (or of preventing its decrease) in many EU countries. The presence of so many families with a migrant background is, however, to some extent, an unexpected phenomenon arising from the permanent settlement of migrant guest workers expected to be temporary residents and from other unplanned processes such as decolonization and the influx of asylum seekers. Moreover, family reunification is today one of the main legal channels by which migrants come to Europe, so it is no coincidence that the main issues animating European public debate on inter-ethnic coexistence involve family, religion, and the relationships between genders and generations. Finally, the migrant family has to some extent, become a lens through which to analyze many key topics connected with the present and future of European societies. This work, Migrant Families and Religious Belonging, is a collection of nine essays exploring the relationship between family, religion, and immigration. These essays mainly focus on the integration process, with particular attention to the experience of migrants’ offspring. The book consists of an introductory chapter and four thematic sections, and topics covered include gender equality, forced marriages, child fostering care, and religious radicalization. The relationship between family, religion and immigration provides a fascinating perspective to explore and shed light on European society today. The book will be of interest to a wide range of academics, researchers, and practitioners.