According to the national mythology; the United States has long opened its doors to people from across the globe; providing a port in a storm and opportunity for any who seek it. Yet the history of immigration to the United States is far different. Even before the xenophobic reaction against European and Asian immigrants in the late nineteenth century; social and economic interest groups worked to manipulate immigration policy to serve their needs. In A Nation by Design; Aristide Zolberg explores American immigration policy from the colonial period to the present; discussing how it has been used as a tool of nation building.A Nation by Design argues that the engineering of immigration policy has been prevalent since early American history. However; it has gone largely unnoticed since it took place primarily on the local and state levels; owing to constitutional limits on federal power during the slavery era. Zolberg profiles the vacillating currents of opinion on immigration throughout American history; examining separately the roles played by business interests; labor unions; ethnic lobbies; and nativist ideologues in shaping policy. He then examines how three different types of migration--legal migration; illegal migration to fill low-wage jobs; and asylum-seeking--are shaping contemporary arguments over immigration to the United States.A Nation by Design is a thorough; authoritative account of American immigration history and the political and social factors that brought it about. With rich detail and impeccable scholarship; Zolberg's book shows how America has struggled to shape the immigration process to construct the kind of population it desires.
#3923383 in Books Harvard University Press 2006-02-28Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 .94 x 6.50 x 9.58l; 1.39 #File Name: 0674019407288 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. More attention to the digital version is neededBy LLAResearch is compelling. However it's a shame that more attention wasn't paid to the digital version. No pictures and no links to the footnotes. It's time consuming to have to find them. The standard is to have links to the foot notes and pictures. I realize this is basically a dissertation; but neglect of the technology detracts from the focus of the book.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Only History of its KindBy Billie's MomThis is one of the only books that deals with the social and cultural history of black performers at the turn of the twentieth century in a comprehensive and original fashion. It is also a good read. "Staging Race" is a must-have for anyone who is interested in the little-known history of black theater before the Harlem Renaissance.2 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Where are the pictures?By AgustineInteresting subject; too much speculation on racial attitudes of both races. According to other sources the incident of Williams and Walker having their clothes stolen occurred in Cripple Creek Colorado; not Georgia. Why does the Kindle edition not have the pictures? If ones wants to see the pictures that goes with the text you are instructed to refer to the print copy of this book.That is annoying and tacky.
