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The Sociology of Immigration provides students with a contemporary sociological perspective on the entire immigration process: deciding to leave one's home country, establishing oneself in a new host society, being received by the host population, and deciding whether to assimilate or seek citizenship.
List of contents
Chapter 1: An Introduction to Studying Immigration
Do You Have What It Takes?
Why Study Immigration?
Essential Ideas and Vocabulary
Layout of This Book
Chapter 2: Why do People become Immigrants?
The Famous Push-Pull Theory of Migration
Other Theories of Immigration
Social Capital Theory: Chain Migration
Chapter 3: Who becomes an Immigrant?: A Demographic Profile
Contrasting Stories
Immigration and Social Stratification
Other Demographic Factors
Chapter 4: A Brief History of Immigration to the United States
How Many Immigrants in the United States?
Developing a Nation of Immigrants (Colonial Era to the Early 1900s)
Closing the Doors (1924-1965)
The Post-1965 Wave
Chapter 5: Immigrant Destinations in the Rest of the World
The "Nations of Immigrants"
Europe and the Transition to Net Immigration
Immigration Outside of Europe
Chapter 6: Becoming an Immigrant
The U.S. Immigration System
Becoming a Temporary Legal Resident or Nonimmigrant
Becoming a Lawful Permanent Resident
Other Legal Immigration Systems From Around the World
Chapter 7: Assimilation and its Variants
Introduction: Whatever Happened to German America?
The Concept of Assimilation
The Classic Stages of Assimilation
Rethinking Assimilation for the 21st Century
Segmented Assimilation Theory
Chapter 8: Transnationalism and Multiculturalism
Introduction: The Canadian Mosaic
The Development of Canadian Multiculturalism
Transnationalism
Immigrant Enclave Communities
Chapter 9: Anti-Immigrant Sentiment
What Is Everyone's Problem With Immigrants Anyway?
The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
Examining the Extent of Anti-Immigrant Sentiment
Anti-Immigrant Sentiment and Immigrant Identities
Why Anti-Immigrant Sentiment?
Chapter 10: Undocumented Immigrants
Important Terminology for a Controversial Group
A Short History of the United States-Mexico Migration Relationship
How Did Border Enforcement "Backfire"?
Undocumented Immigration Outside of the United States
Policies Regarding Undocumented Immigrants
Chapter 11: Forcibly Displaced People: Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Definitions and Terms
The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
How Do These Processes Work in the United States?
Refugee Situations Throughout the World
Chapter 12: Acquiring Citizenship
Birthright Citizenship-Two Philosophies
Naturalization
Variation in Naturalization Processes Throughout the World
Can You Lose Your Citizenship?
Chapter 13: Busting Myths about Immigration
Myth #1: Immigrants Are More Criminal Than Native Born Citizens
Myth #2: Immigrants Benefit Undeservingly From the Welfare System
Myth #3: Undocumented Immigrants Do Not Pay Taxes
Myth #4: Immigrants Drive Down the Wages and Take Jobs Away From Native-Born Citizens
Myth #5: Immigration Brings Communicable Diseases Into the Host Country
Chapter 14: Emigration: What Becomes of the Origin Society?
Considering Emigration Countries
The Loss of Laborers as a Problem or a Solution
The Consequences of Emigration: Brain Drain
Turning a Negative Into a Positive: Brain Circulation
Social Remittances: Emigrants Influencing the Origin Beyond Economics
About the author
Daniel Herda is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts. He received his Doctoral degree in 2013 from the University of California - Davis. At Merrimack, he regularly teaches courses on the Sociological Imagination, Research Methods, Race and Ethnicity, and the Sociology of Immigration. Immigration is a global course offered each spring by his department that culminates in a study-abroad experience in Germany. He and his students use the city of Berlin as their laboratory for understanding all aspects human migration. In addition, Dan is an award-winning survey researcher who analyzes immigration, race relations, crime, and public opinion. His work on population innumeracy reveals just how poorly informed Americans and Europeans are about various groups in their societies. Dan contributed chapters on Immigration to two of our Sociology in Action texts in development:
Social Problems and
Race and Ethnicity. He also created some of the SAGE Stats data activities for the Social Problems text.
Summary
The Sociology of Immigration provides students with a contemporary sociological perspective on the entire immigration process: deciding to leave one’s home country, establishing oneself in a new host society, being received by the host population, and deciding whether to assimilate or seek citizenship.
