The Road to Citizenship

The Road to Citizenship PDF Author: Sofya Aptekar
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 0813575443
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description
Between 2000 and 2011, eight million immigrants became American citizens. In naturalization ceremonies large and small these new Americans pledged an oath of allegiance to the United States, gaining the right to vote, serve on juries, and hold political office; access to certain jobs; and the legal rights of full citizens. In The Road to Citizenship, Sofya Aptekar analyzes what the process of becoming a citizen means for these newly minted Americans and what it means for the United States as a whole. Examining the evolution of the discursive role of immigrants in American society from potential traitors to morally superior “supercitizens,” Aptekar’s in-depth research uncovers considerable contradictions with the way naturalization works today. Census data reveal that citizenship is distributed in ways that increasingly exacerbate existing class and racial inequalities, at the same time that immigrants’ own understandings of naturalization defy accepted stories we tell about assimilation, citizenship, and becoming American. Aptekar contends that debates about immigration must be broadened beyond the current focus on borders and documentation to include larger questions about the definition of citizenship. Aptekar’s work brings into sharp relief key questions about the overall system: does the current naturalization process accurately reflect our priorities as a nation and reflect the values we wish to instill in new residents and citizens? Should barriers to full membership in the American polity be lowered? What are the implications of keeping the process the same or changing it? Using archival research, interviews, analysis of census and survey data, and participant observation of citizenship ceremonies, The Road to Citizenship demonstrates the ways in which naturalization itself reflects the larger operations of social cohesion and democracy in America.

The Road to Citizenship

The Road to Citizenship PDF Author: Sofya Aptekar
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 0813575443
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 132

Get Book Here

Book Description
Between 2000 and 2011, eight million immigrants became American citizens. In naturalization ceremonies large and small these new Americans pledged an oath of allegiance to the United States, gaining the right to vote, serve on juries, and hold political office; access to certain jobs; and the legal rights of full citizens. In The Road to Citizenship, Sofya Aptekar analyzes what the process of becoming a citizen means for these newly minted Americans and what it means for the United States as a whole. Examining the evolution of the discursive role of immigrants in American society from potential traitors to morally superior “supercitizens,” Aptekar’s in-depth research uncovers considerable contradictions with the way naturalization works today. Census data reveal that citizenship is distributed in ways that increasingly exacerbate existing class and racial inequalities, at the same time that immigrants’ own understandings of naturalization defy accepted stories we tell about assimilation, citizenship, and becoming American. Aptekar contends that debates about immigration must be broadened beyond the current focus on borders and documentation to include larger questions about the definition of citizenship. Aptekar’s work brings into sharp relief key questions about the overall system: does the current naturalization process accurately reflect our priorities as a nation and reflect the values we wish to instill in new residents and citizens? Should barriers to full membership in the American polity be lowered? What are the implications of keeping the process the same or changing it? Using archival research, interviews, analysis of census and survey data, and participant observation of citizenship ceremonies, The Road to Citizenship demonstrates the ways in which naturalization itself reflects the larger operations of social cohesion and democracy in America.

The Road to Citizenship

The Road to Citizenship PDF Author: Sofya Aptekar
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 0813569559
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 191

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Book Description
Between 2000 and 2011, eight million immigrants became American citizens. In naturalization ceremonies large and small these new Americans pledged an oath of allegiance to the United States, gaining the right to vote, serve on juries, and hold political office; access to certain jobs; and the legal rights of full citizens. In The Road to Citizenship, Sofya Aptekar analyzes what the process of becoming a citizen means for these newly minted Americans and what it means for the United States as a whole. Examining the evolution of the discursive role of immigrants in American society from potential traitors to morally superior “supercitizens,” Aptekar’s in-depth research uncovers considerable contradictions with the way naturalization works today. Census data reveal that citizenship is distributed in ways that increasingly exacerbate existing class and racial inequalities, at the same time that immigrants’ own understandings of naturalization defy accepted stories we tell about assimilation, citizenship, and becoming American. Aptekar contends that debates about immigration must be broadened beyond the current focus on borders and documentation to include larger questions about the definition of citizenship. Aptekar’s work brings into sharp relief key questions about the overall system: does the current naturalization process accurately reflect our priorities as a nation and reflect the values we wish to instill in new residents and citizens? Should barriers to full membership in the American polity be lowered? What are the implications of keeping the process the same or changing it? Using archival research, interviews, analysis of census and survey data, and participant observation of citizenship ceremonies, The Road to Citizenship demonstrates the ways in which naturalization itself reflects the larger operations of social cohesion and democracy in America.

Ethnic Routes to Becoming American

Ethnic Routes to Becoming American PDF Author: Sharmila Rudrappa
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 9780813533711
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
The author examines the paths South Asian immigrants in Chicago take toward assimilation in the late 20th century United States. She examines two ethnic institutions to show how immigrant activism ironically abets these immigrants' assimilation.

Undocumented Migration

Undocumented Migration PDF Author: Roberto G. Gonzales
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1509506985
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 175

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Book Description
Undocumented migration is a global and yet elusive phenomenon. Despite contemporary efforts to patrol national borders and mass deportation programs, it remains firmly placed at the top of the political agenda in many countries where it receives hostile media coverage and generates fierce debate. However, as this much-needed book makes clear, unauthorized movement should not be confused or crudely assimilated with the social reality of growing numbers of large, settled populations lacking full citizenship and experiencing precarious lives. From the journeys migrants take to the lives they seek on arrival and beyond, Undocumented Migration provides a comparative view of how this phenomenon plays out, looking in particular at the United States and Europe. Drawing on their extensive expertise, the authors breathe life into the various issues and debates surrounding migration, including the experiences and voices of migrants themselves, to offer a critical analysis of a hidden and too often misrepresented population.

The Oxford Handbook of Citizenship

The Oxford Handbook of Citizenship PDF Author: Ayelet Shachar
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198805853
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 897

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Book Description
This Handbook sets a new agenda for theoretical and practical explorations of citizenship, analysing the main challenges and prospects informing today's world of increased migration and globalization. It will also explore new forms of membership and democratic participation beyond borders, and the rise of European and multilevel citizenship.

Citizenship: A Very Short Introduction

Citizenship: A Very Short Introduction PDF Author: Richard Bellamy
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0192802534
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 153

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Book Description
Interest in citizenship has never been higher. But what does it mean to be a citizen in a modern, complex community? Richard Bellamy approaches the subject of citizenship from a political perspective and, in clear and accessible language, addresses the complexities behind this highly topical issue.

Black Identities

Black Identities PDF Author: Mary C. WATERS
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674044944
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 431

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Book Description
The story of West Indian immigrants to the United States is generally considered to be a great success. Mary Waters, however, tells a very different story. She finds that the values that gain first-generation immigrants initial success--a willingness to work hard, a lack of attention to racism, a desire for education, an incentive to save--are undermined by the realities of life and race relations in the United States. Contrary to long-held beliefs, Waters finds, those who resist Americanization are most likely to succeed economically, especially in the second generation.

The Qualities of a Citizen

The Qualities of a Citizen PDF Author: Martha Mabie Gardner
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691089930
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 279

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Book Description
The Qualities of a Citizen traces the application of U.S. immigration and naturalization law to women from the 1870s to the late 1960s. Like no other book before, it explores how racialized, gendered, and historical anxieties shaped our current understandings of the histories of immigrant women. The book takes us from the first federal immigration restrictions against Asian prostitutes in the 1870s to the immigration "reform" measures of the late 1960s. Throughout this period, topics such as morality, family, marriage, poverty, and nationality structured historical debates over women's immigration and citizenship. At the border, women immigrants, immigration officials, social service providers, and federal judges argued the grounds on which women would be included within the nation. As interview transcripts and court documents reveal, when, where, and how women were welcomed into the country depended on their racial status, their roles in the family, and their work skills. Gender and race mattered. The book emphasizes the comparative nature of racial ideologies in which the inclusion of one group often came with the exclusion of another. It explores how U.S. officials insisted on the link between race and gender in understanding America's peculiar brand of nationalism. It also serves as a social history of the law, detailing women's experiences and strategies, successes and failures, to belong to the nation.

Immigration Wars

Immigration Wars PDF Author: Jeb Bush
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1476713464
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
The immigration debate divides Americans more stridently than ever, due to a chronic failure of national leadership by both parties. Bush and Bolick propose a six-point strategy for reworking our policies that begins with erasing all existing, outdated immigration structures and starting over. Their strategy is guided by two core principles: first, immigration is vital to America's future; second, any enduring resolution must adhere to the rule of law.

A Conservative and Compassionate Approach to Immigration Reform

A Conservative and Compassionate Approach to Immigration Reform PDF Author: Alberto R. Gonzales
Publisher: American Liberty and Justice
ISBN: 9780896728967
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
"A thorough exploration of and compassionate solutions to current U.S. immigration policy. Although the United States is a nation founded by immigrants, Alberto Gonzales and David Strange believe that national immigration policy and enforcement over the past thirty years has been inadequate. This failure by federal leaders has resulted in a widespread introduction of state immigration laws across the country. Gonzales and Strange assert that the solution to current immigration challenges is reform of federal immigration laws, including common sense border control, tougher workplace enforcement, minor (but significant) changes to the Immigration and Nationality Act, and a revised visa process that discourages overstaying the duration of a visa. Gonzales and Strange embrace many provisions of current pending legislation, but are sharply critical of others. Their proposals call for an expansion of the grounds of inadmissibility to foster greater respect of law and to address the problem of visa overstays, while also calling for a restriction on grounds of inadmissibility in other areas to address the large undocumented population and increasing humanitarian crisis. They explore nationality versus citizenship and introduce a pathway to nationality as an alternative to a pathway to citizenship. This immigration policy blueprint examines the political landscape in Washington and makes the argument that progress will require compromise and the discipline to act with compassion and respect. Most significantly, it illuminates how following this blueprint can enhance national security and improve the economy in the United States in ways that is consistent with the rule of law"--