The Politics of Belonging

Race, Public Opinion, and Immigration

Jane Junn author Natalie Masuoka author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:The University of Chicago Press

Published:27th Aug '13

Should be back in stock very soon

The Politics of Belonging cover

The United States is once again experiencing a major influx of immigrants. Questions about who should be admitted and what benefits should be afforded to new members of the polity are among the most divisive and controversial contemporary political issues. Using an impressive array of evidence from national surveys, The Politics of Belonging illuminates patterns of public opinion on immigration and explains why Americans hold the attitudes they do. Rather than simply characterizing Americans as either nativist or nonnativist, this book argues that controversies over immigration policy are best understood as questions of political membership and belonging to the nation. The relationships between citizenship, race, and immigration drive the politics of belonging in the United States and represent a dynamic central to understanding patterns of contemporary public opinion on immigration policy. Beginning with a historical analysis, the book documents why this is the case by tracing the development of immigration law and the formation of the American racial hierarchy. Then, through a comparative analysis of public opinion among white, black, Latino, and Asian Americans, it identifies and tests the critical moderating role of racial categorization and group identity on variation in public opinion on immigration.

"Theoretically rich and innovative, The Politics of Belonging tackles its subject matter in an original and thought-provoking manner, deftly weaving a historical narrative of the creation of America's immigration laws with the country's racial hierarchy." (Marisa A. Abrajano, University of California, San Diego)"

ISBN: 9780226057163

Dimensions: 23mm x 15mm x 2mm

Weight: 397g

272 pages