A novel and interdisciplinary volume on the dynamics of migration with comparative case studies of the Caribbean experience.

Why do some migrants integrate quickly, while others become long-term minorities? What is the role of the state in the settlement process? To what extent are experiences in the past different from the present? Are the recent migrants really integrating in another way than those in the past? Is Islam indeed an obstacle to integration? These are some of the burning questions, which dominate the current politicized debate on immigration in Western Europe. In this book, leading historians and social scientists analyze and compare a variety of settlement processes in past and present migration to Western Europe. Identifying general factors in the process of adaptation of new immigrants, the contributors trace social changes effected by recent European immigration, and the parallels with the great American migration of the 1880s-1920s. The history of migration to Western Europe and the way these migrants found their place in the receiving societies, is not only essential to understand the way nations deal with newcomers in the present, but also constitutes a highly interesting laboratory for different paths of integration now and then. By analyzing and comparing a wealth of settlement processes both in the past and in the present this book is both a bold interdisciplinary endeavor, and at the same time the first attempt to identify general factors underlying the way migrants adapt to their new surroundings, as well as how societies change under the influence of immigration. The chapters in the book both look at specific groups in various periods, but also analyses the structure of the state, churches unions and other important organized actors in Western European nation states. Moreover, the results are embedded in the more theoretical American literature on the comparison of old and new migrants. All chapters have an explicit comparative perspective, either by comparing different groups or different periods, whereas the general conclusion ties together the various outcomes in a systematic way, highlighting the main answers to the central questions about the various outcomes of settlement processes. --Publisher.

This anthology represents important and original directions in the study of Caribbean migration. It takes a comparative perspective on the Caribbean people's migratory experiences to North America, Europe, and within the Caribbean. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, the book discusses: * the causes of migration * the experiences of migrants * the historical, cultural and political processes * issues of gender and imperialism * the methodology of migration studies, including oral history.

Product Description: Caribbean Connections: Moving North introduces students to Caribbean life in the United States through oral histories, literature and essays. Moving North features the work of noted authors such as Edwidge Danticat, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Paule Marshall, Julia Alvarez and others who trace their roots to Puerto Rico, the English speaking West Indies, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Haiti. Part of a highly acclaimed series on the cultures of the Caribbean.

As economic and military walls have come down in the post-Cold War era, states have rapidly built new barriers to prevent a perceived invasion of undesirables. This work examines the practice, politics, and consequences of building these walls.

"This brilliant book, by two of the most eminent scholars of immigration, compares the integration of immigrants on both sides of the Atlantic. Alba and Foner provide a cogent account of the history, sociology, economics, and politics of immigrant integration, and challenge many things we thought we knew about the subject. This is a tour de force."--Mary C. Waters, Harvard University "Integration is not just about the desires of immigrants or availability of jobs--it is fundamentally about institutions and policies that shape incorporation. In this deft tour de force exploring six countries and multiple areas of life, Strangers No More reveals that simple narratives of integration break down in the face of complex institutional arrangements. A must-read for students and scholars alike."--Irene Bloemraad, University of California, Berkeley "Although all developed nations have become countries of immigration, prior studies have only analyzed immigrant assimilation on a country-by-country basis. Strangers No More undertakes the first comprehensive look at immigrant integration in six diverse nations. Revealing broad similarities and stark differences in the forces that shape immigrant outcomes, this book is essential reading for all students of international migration in the world today."--Douglas S. Massey, coauthor of Climbing Mount Laurel "In many societies throughout the world, immigrants and their descendants are growing to become the lion's share of the population. How have diverse immigrant groups and their subsequent generations fared in this transition? Alba and Foner offer no simple answers, but rather show complex relations of contextual factors, processes, and outcomes. Looking at six nations on both sides of the Atlantic, this comparative work is a masterly exploration."--Steven Vertovec, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity "With its unique scope, this excellent book is a must-read for anybody interested in immigration. It deals with two continents, various immigrant groups, and many fields of inclusion. There is no other book like it."--Jan Willem Duyvendak, University of Amsterdam "This accessible and ambitious book thoughtfully compares the experiences and outcomes for immigrants in six host countries--Canada, France, Germany, Britain, Netherlands, and the United States. Exploring how national and local policies impact the reception and lives of immigrants, the authors demonstrate that no country has all the answers when it comes to immigration. This work fills a real gap in the literature and will have an impact."--Caroline B. Brettell, Southern Methodist University

Colonial Subjects is the first book to use a combination of world-system and postcolonial approaches to compare Puerto Rican migration with Caribbean migration to both the United States and Western Europe. Ramón Grosfoguel provides an alternative reading of the world-system approach to Puerto Rico's history, political economy, and urbanization processes. He offers a comprehensive and well-reasoned framework for understanding the position of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean, the position of Puerto Ricans in the United States, and the position of colonial migrants compared to noncolonial migrants in the world system.