Immigration in America Today: An Encyclopedia

by James Loucky, Jeanne M. Armstrong, Larry J. Estrada

Overview

America today is witnessing the largest and most sustained wave of immigrants its borders have ever seen. Although factors like the Great Depression, World War II, and quota restrictions had slowed the massive influx of Europeans from the early part of the 20th century, policies like the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act have relaxed quotas and opened America's doors to hundreds of thousands of immigrants a year, from both Eastern and Western hemispheres, to reach a height of over 9 million immigrants in the 1990s. Today, immigrants and policy-makers alike grapple with issues regarding employment, education, refugee status, and family reunification; as well as illegal immigrants—many from Mexico, whose legal immigration alone accounts for more than 20% of immigrants in the US. Despite this, this comprehensive reference source allows a glimpse of the same motivating factors that drove earlier immigrants through Ellis Island's gates—the promise of economic opportunity and the hope of a better life.

Over 70 A-Z entries address topical and timely aspects of modern US immigration, including:
; bilingual education
; domestic work
; employer sanctions
; gangs
; gender
; homeland security
; migrant education
; posttraumatic stress disorder
; stereotypes

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313312144
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	08/30/2006
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	392
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.88(d)

About the Author

James Loucky, Professor of Anthropology at Western Washington University, has worked with Latin American immigrant communities in the United States and Canada for twenty-five years. In addition to following the development of the transnational Maya population, he has collaborated with immigrant organizations and attorneys on refugee issues, community development, and education concerns. His teaching and research emphases include international migration, border regions, Latin America, human rights, and global problems.

Jeanne Armstrong is Associate Professor at Western Washington University and librarian liaison for several departments and programs including American Cultural Studies for which she is also an instructor. She is the author of Demythologizing the Romance of Conquest, and has co-authored articles on teaching library research.

Larry J. Estrada is Director of American Cultural Studies and Associate Professor at Fairhaven College, Western Washington University. His recent research and work includes the issues of immigration patterns between Mexico and the United States as well as the sociocultural implications of public policy related to indigenous folk healing and curanderismo in Mexico. Dr. Estrada has served as mayor of the City of Fort Collins, Colorado, and as Chair of the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs.

Table of Contents

List of Entries
Guide to Related Topics
Preface
The Encyclopedia
Selected Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

E pluribus unum (one out of many) has been a civic motto of the US since the founding of the republic. As a nation comprising people from many different cultures, the US faces enormous challenges in regulating the process of becoming American. This new edited volume usefully addresses many elements of that complex process since the passage of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. The editors commissioned 52 contributors from a variety of disciplines to prepare 81 alphabetical entries on varied aspects of the immigration issue from Achievement to Women. The entries are interdisciplinary and reflect the entanglement of immigration with economics, health care, education, and foreign policy, among other issues. Special attention is given to concerns about immigration since September 11, 2001. Missing from the volume are entries on specific ethnic groups or nations of origin. The volume concludes with an annotated chronology of US immigration legislation, an annotated bibliography, and a detailed index…..Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through graduate students; general readers.” —Choice

“From adoption and gangs to crime, domestic work, legal issues and social conflicts, the encyclopedia Immigration in America Today is a top, recommended pick for any high school to college-level collection strong in social issues. Entries here do more than define: they offer often pages of detail and insights, conclude with bibliographic references for further reading and research, and provide background history essential to understanding the foundations of modern immigrant rights and debates. An excellent supplement for any collection seeking a definitive starting point on immigration history and issues.” —California Bookwatch

“Immigration to the U.S. is a hot topic, and this volume offers an interdisciplinary overview of the complex immigration-related issues that currently face our government and social agencies. The alphabetically arranged entries define key terms and concepts, provide historical background, and suggest future trends. Each ends with a bibliography of cited references and recommended readings….Immigration in America Today is recommended for academic and large public libraries and those serving policy makers concerned with immigration issues.” —Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin

“Immigration in America Today would be a nice addition to public and academic reference collections.” —ARBA

From the Publisher

Editors Loucky (The Maya Diaspora), Jeanne Armstrong (Demythologizing the Romance of Conquest), and Larry J. Estrada (American cultural studies, Western Washington Univ.) have culled 81 entries by 52 academic specialists. Organized alphabetically by subject, the entries average four pages in length and are followed by cross references and an extensive bibliography. Topic essays are carefully considered and packed with recent statistics. A more accessible complement is John Powell's Encyclopedia of North American Immigration(Facts On File, 2005), which offers a wider continental and chronological breadth and presents more illustrative material to facilitate comprehension. Geared toward field specialists, this largely scholarly volume is recommended for governmental libraries and immigration-focused collections.

—Savannah Schroll Guz

Library Journal