The Road to Citizenship

The Road to Citizenship PDF Author: Sofya Aptekar
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 0813575443
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 190

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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 : 190

Get Book

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.

Welcome to the United States

Welcome to the United States PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Immigrants
Languages : en
Pages : 4

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The Road to Citizenship

The Road to Citizenship PDF Author: Frances Ross Dearborn
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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The Path to Citizenship

The Path to Citizenship PDF Author: Sara Howell
Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
ISBN: 1477767355
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 24

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Book Description
Many Americans are citizens because they were born here. But not everyone who lives here is a citizen. Ease into the process of applying for citizenship with help from this informative volume. Accompanying photos and captions familiarize readers with the citizenship test, the character check, and many other facets of the path to citizenship.

Learn about the United States

Learn about the United States PDF Author: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Publisher: Government Printing Office
ISBN: 9780160831188
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description
"Learn About the United States" is intended to help permanent residents gain a deeper understanding of U.S. history and government as they prepare to become citizens. The product presents 96 short lessons, based on the sample questions from which the civics portion of the naturalization test is drawn. An audio CD that allows students to listen to the questions, answers, and civics lessons read aloud is also included. For immigrants preparing to naturalize, the chance to learn more about the history and government of the United States will make their journey toward citizenship a more meaningful one.

At Home in Two Countries

At Home in Two Countries PDF Author: Peter J Spiro
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 0814785824
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 199

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Book Description
Read Peter's Op-ed on Trump's Immigration Ban in The New York Times The rise of dual citizenship could hardly have been imaginable to a time traveler from a hundred or even fifty years ago. Dual nationality was once considered an offense to nature, an abomination on the order of bigamy. It was the stuff of titanic battles between the United States and European sovereigns. As those conflicts dissipated, dual citizenship continued to be an oddity, a condition that, if not quite freakish, was nonetheless vaguely disreputable, a status one could hold but not advertise. Even today, some Americans mistakenly understand dual citizenship to somehow be “illegal”, when in fact it is completely tolerated. Only recently has the status largely shed the opprobrium to which it was once attached. At Home in Two Countries charts the history of dual citizenship from strong disfavor to general acceptance. The status has touched many; there are few Americans who do not have someone in their past or present who has held the status, if only unknowingly. The history reflects on the course of the state as an institution at the level of the individual. The state was once a jealous institution, justifiably demanding an exclusive relationship with its members. Today, the state lacks both the capacity and the incentive to suppress the status as citizenship becomes more like other forms of membership. Dual citizenship allows many to formalize sentimental attachments. For others, it’s a new way to game the international system. This book explains why dual citizenship was once so reviled, why it is a fact of life after globalization, and why it should be embraced today.

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.

Gateway to Citizenship

Gateway to Citizenship PDF Author: United States. Immigration and Naturalization Service
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Civics
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Keys to Citizenship

Keys to Citizenship PDF Author: Simon Duffy
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780954306823
Category : Citizenship
Languages : en
Pages : 157

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Book Description
A guide to getting good support services for people with learning difficulties.

Citizenship: A Very Short Introduction

Citizenship: A Very Short Introduction PDF Author: Richard Bellamy
Publisher: Oxford University Press
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.