Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction: Migration in Comparative Perspective I Comparisons Across Time: Immigrants in New York's Two Great Waves1 The Social Construction of Race in Two Immigrant Eras 2 Immigrants and African Americans 3 Transnationalism Old and New 4 Immigrant Women and Work, Then and Now Comparisons Across Space: West Indians in New York and London5 Being Black in London and New York: The Caribbean Experience6 Place Matters: Comparative Perspectives on the West Indian Migrant Experience 7 Gendered Transitions: Jamaican Women in New York and London III Comparisons Across Space: Urban and National Perspectives8 How Exceptional Is New York? Immigration in Contemporary Urban America 9 Immigration Past and Present: Some U.S.-Europe Comparisons Notes References Index About the Author

About the Author

Nancy Foner is Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center at the City University of New York. She is the author of numerous books, including From Ellis Island to JFK: New York's Two Great Waves of Immigration and Islands in the City: West Indian Migration to New York.

Reviews

"This book should be both a pleasure to read for both those who are immersed in the study of immigration and those less versed in the history and dynamics of these movements. For the latter, In a New Land will provide an excellent and thought provoking introduction. For the former ... the book will stimulate thought about how to better understand this complex process." --Douglas Gurak, Anthropology and Education Quarterly"[A] highly valuable contribution to the field. Both historians and sociologists studying immigration will want to read this book." --Deirdre M. Moloney, George Mason University"This important and timely book encompasses a great deal... Foner's definition of race in the 21st century is invaluable." --Choice, highly recommended"Excellent reading for anyone interested in ethnicity, race, and immigration patterns and policies." --Bryan Thompson, Journal of American History"Foner does social science a great service, revealing ... how immigration functions in other contexts, past and present, and in so doing unveiling the peculiarities of the United States as an immigrant-receiving society." --Douglas Massey, Contexts"Immensely readable and interesting... Scholars and students of immigration will surely find this book to be interesting, instructive, and indispensable." Maritsa Poros, --International Migration Review In A New Land: A Comparative View of Immigration uses historical and modern research to provide new insights into today's immigrants and how they are affecting societies around the world." --The Midwest Book Review"In a New Land is the exceptionally well-written and thoughtful work of one innovative comparativist." --Donna Gabaccia, Journal of American Ethnic History"The author of a classic comparison of New York's current immigration and that of a century ago, From Ellis Island to JFK, Nancy Foner has now extended her use of comparative analysis both topically and geographically. Besides looking further and deeper into New York's immigrants 'then and now,' she makes insightful comparisons 'across space' between the experiences of West Indians in contemporary New York and London and those of a range of recent newcomers in New York and some other American cities. She concludes with a discussion of the differences and similarities in how immigration has been conceived and remembered in the United States and Europe. The book is full of fresh information and new interpretations. Most remarkable is her command of the vast social scientific and historical literature that bears on her subject. In a New Land sets a new standard for interdisciplinary comparative studies." --George M. Fredrickson, author of Black Liberation: A Comparative History of Black Ideologies in the United States and South Africa"In a New Land is a luminous synthesis that, through astute comparisons, sheds a bright light on key questions about immigration. Foner has much to tell us about continuities and change over the course of a century, the contextual contingencies of race, and the uniqueness and universality of New York City. The book is utterly refreshing." --Richard Alba, author of Remaking the American Mainstream: Assimilation and Contemporary Immigration