Synopses & Reviews
In the United States immigration is both history and destiny. It is the driving force behind a most significant social transformation taking place in American society at the end of our millennium. Arguably few other social phenomena are likely to impact the future character of American culture and society as much as the ongoing wave of "new immigration."
Who are the new immigrants? What do they want? How are they changing American society? This cross-disciplinary book brings together twelve essays by the leading scholars of the most significant aspect of the new immigration: Mexican immigration to the United States. Crossings theorizes aspects of recent Mexican immigration that are new and that demarcate this wave of immigration from earlier experiences in this century.
Review
An up-to-date look at the dynamics and effects of Mexican immigration, the longest-running and largest inflow in the history of the nation in this century. Because contributors come from both sides of the border and some of them have experienced the processes that they describe, the contents are richer and more persuasive than books written from a single-country perspective. A significant addition to the research literature on contemporary immigration. Alejandro Portes, President, American Sociological Association, Professor Of Sociology, Princeton University
Review
The originality of this timely book lies in its bilateral approach and interdisciplinary nature. A challenging work by prestigious scholars, it is a major achievement that will foster academic cooperation on one of the most complex issues in U.S-Mexico relations. -- Alejandro Portes, President, American Sociological Association, Professor of Sociology, Princeton University
Review
Crossingsis must reading for anyone interested in the 'new immigration: The thoughtful and carefully researched interdisciplinary essays on economic, social, cultural, psychological, and political aspects of the Mexican immigrant experience make this volume a unique contribution to social science work on an important international topic. -- M
Review
The incorporation of the commentaries works well, rendering the tome less passive than many scholarly texts, and often reinforcing points raised whilst introducing new areas of discussion. Well-judged and evocative photographs by Anna LeVine give an added 'real' dimension to a thought-provoking work that illustrates the importance of creating a climate in which diverse ethnic groups can flourish. -- Susan Eckstein, President, Latin American Studies Association
About the Author
Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco is Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, Distinguished Professor of Education, and Co-Director of the Institute for Immigrant Children, Youth, and Families at the University of California, Los Angeles.
University of California, Los Angeles
Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I. OVERVIEW
Chapter 1
Introduction: Crossings:
Mexican Immigration in Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco
II. ANTECEDENTS AND NEW DEMOGRAPHIC FORMATIONS
Chapter 2
Recent Structural Changes in Mexico's Economy:
A Preliminary Analysis of Some Sources of Mexican Migration to the United States
Enrique Dussel Peters
Commentary: John H. Coatsworrh
Chapter 3
U.S. Immigration Policies and Trends:
The Growing Importance of Migration from Mexico
Susan Gonzalez Baker, Frank D. Bean, Augustin Escobar Latapi, and Sidney Weintraub
Commentary: Mary C. Waters
III. ECONOMIC THEMES
Chapter 4
The Structural Embeddedness of Demand for Mexican Immigrant Labor:
New Evidence from California
Wayne A. Cornelius
Commentary: Robert Smith
Chapter 5
Dimensions of Economic Adaptation by Mexican-Origin Men
Dowell Myers
Commentary: Nathan Glazer
IV. SOCIAL THEMES
Chapter 6
Migration and Integration: Intermarriages among
Mexicans and Non-Mexicans in the United States
Jorge Durand
Commentary: Merilee Grindle
Chapter 7
Access to Health Insurance and Health Care for Mexican American Children in Immigrant Families
E. Richard Brown, Roberta Wyn, Hongjian Yu, Abel Valenzuela, and Liane Doug
Commentary: Felton Earls
Chapter 8
The Education of Mexican Immigrant Children
Enrique T. Trueba
Commentary: Gary Orfield
V. PSYCHOCULTURAL THEMES
Chapter 9
Cultural Mourning, Immigration, and Engagement:
Vignettes from the Mexican Experience
Ricardo C. Ainslie
Commentary: Peggy Levitt
Chapter 10
Ethnic Mexicans and the Transformation of "American" Social Space:
Reflections on Recent History
David G. Gutiérrez
Commentary: George I. Sanchez
Chapter 11
The U.S. Immigration Control Offensive:
Constructing an Image of Order on the Southwest Border
Peter Andreas
Commentary: Jacqueline Hagan
Chapter 12
Immigration and Public Opinion
Thomas I. Espenshade and Maryanne Belanger
Commentary: Michael Jones-Correa
Epilogue
Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco
Index