Ethnic Groups Of The Americas

This classic work by the distinguished economist traces the history of nine American ethnic groups -- the Irish, Germans, Jews, Italians, Chinese, African-Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans.

"This volume is one of the products of a study of American ethnic groups that was conducted at The Urban Institute from 1972 to 1975 ..."--Page vii. Includes bibliographies and index.

Intended to help students explore ethnic identity-one of the most important issues of the 21st century-this concise, one-stop reference presents rigorously researched content on the national groups and ethnicities of North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.

Ethnic diversity has marked the United States from its inception and is now experiencing watershed changes in its social, cultural, and ethnic/racial geographies. Considering the impact of these transformations, this unique text examines a range of ethnic groups in both historical and contemporary context. The contributors present a rich set of case studies of key ethnic and racial communities—including those of long-standing significance such as Native Americans, African Americans, and Mexican Americans, along with the Latin American and Asian groups that make up the vast majority of newer immigrants. Each case offers a brief historical overview of the group's immigration experience and settlement patterns and discusses how it has transformed—and been transformed by—the places in which they have settled. Exploring changing communities, places, and landscapes, this book offers a nuanced understanding of the evolution of America's ethnic geographies.

This comprehensive work details the specifics on over 100 ethnic groups and presents comparative or thematic treatments of another 30 topics related to immigration and identity maintenance.

The contributors to this volume probe systematically and in depth the adaptation patterns and trajectories of concrete ethnic groups. They provide a close look at this rising second generation by focusing on youth of diverse national origins—Mexican, Cuban, Nicaraguan, Filipino, Vietnamese, Haitian, Jamaican and other West Indian—coming of age in immigrant families on both coasts of the United States. Their analyses draw on the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study, the largest research project of its kind to date. Ethnicities demonstrates that, while some of the ethnic groups being created by the new immigration are in a clear upward path, moving into society's mainstream in record time, others are headed toward a path of blocked aspirations and downward mobility. The book concludes with an essay summarizing the main findings, discussing their implications, and identifying specific lessons for theory and policy.

This brief history acts as an introduction to the inter-related themes of race, ethnicity and immigration in American history. It spans the years 1600 to 2000, exploring the historical roots of contemporary identity politics.