The Age of Migration, Third Edition: International Population Movements in the Modern World

Book Description

Now in a revised and expanded third edition, this widely adopted text provides a global perspective on the nature of migration movements, why they take place, and their effects on industrialized countries and the developing world. Extensively rewritten chapters provide information on and comparative analyses of the world's main migration regions. The role of migration in the formation of ethnic minority groups is examined, as is the impact of growing ethnic diversity on economies, cultures, and political institutions. Included are a wealth of concrete examples, tables, and maps.

Puerto Rican Poverty and Migration: We Just Had to Try Elsewhere

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Puerto Rican Poverty and Migration: We Just Had to Try Elsewhere
Julio Morales
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0275920208

Latina Realities: Essay on Healing, Migration, and Sexuality (New Directions in Theory and Psychology)

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Latina Realities

Latina Realities: Essay on Healing, Migration, and Sexuality (New Directions in Theory and Psychology)
Oliva M. Espin
Manufacturer: Westview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0813332346

Customer Reviews:

Latina Realities.......2000-11-01

This book is very informative on the differences in the current spectrum of views on psychology. It gives an in depth analysis on how these views affect different women of color. Some may try to call this a self help book, but I would think of it as more as trying to let some women know they are not alone in their struggles of migration and changing family views and roles.

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An interesting, if prejudiced, look at the Ulster Scots
The birth and assimilation of a people
Scottish people don't refer to themselves as "Scotch"
"For They Desired a Better Country"-Hebrews 11:16
Thoroughly Documented & Well Written

The Scotch-Irish: A Social History
James G. Leyburn
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0807842591

Book Description

Dispelling much of what he terms the 'mythology' of the Scotch-Irish, James Leyburn provides an absorbing account of their heritage. He discusses their life in Scotland, when the essentials of their character and culture were shaped; their removal to Northern Ireland and the action of their residence in that region upon their outlook on life; and their successive migrations to America, where they settled especially in the back-country of Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia, and then after the Revolutionary War were in the van of pioneers to the west.

Customer Reviews:

An interesting, if prejudiced, look at the Ulster Scots.......2007-04-08

Prof. Leyburn obviously did some study on his subject, and it shows in this book. He is able to recount in fair detail the history of "the Scotch Irish", but it is plain how little he thought of them. It seems that his underlying goal is to correct the "overpraise" the Ulster Scots have received from some quarters. His descriptions of the Scots could have been penned by the most bigoted English historian. Leyburn has used such disparaging accounts of the Scots in their homeland that one would be lead to believe that Cro-Magnons could teach them some things about hygiene and manners, but due to the lack of Cro-Magnons, God gave the Scots the English to help them.

His contention that the Ulster Scots did not remain Ulster Scots but became "Americans" is not wholly true. While those states with a large number of people with Scots ancestry have always been among the first to defend this country and stand up to the rest of the world as Americans, they have also been very rooted in the history of their people and their family. I grew up in the South in an area of heavy Scots/Ulster Scots ancestry, where the current use of words from Scotland and Ulster continues by the elder generation. The people there have all been born in America, but they are quicker to point out that they are "Scotch Irish" than they are to say American. They raised their children to be the same way. The United States may be the place of birth, but the blood is Scots.

The birth and assimilation of a people.......2005-09-27

Book contents: foreword - 2pp, table of contents - 4 pp, text -344pp (including 5 maps), timeline of Scotland - 3pp, notes -16pp, bibliography - 19pp, and index - 5 pp.

Overall the book was very good, particularly for someone like myself who wasn't certain his roots were Scotch or Scotch Irish. It was well researched.

The maps of America were not particularly helpful. It was not immediately clear how they fit into the colonies as a whole, and it was sometimes difficult to picture migration patterns. There were no arrows on the maps or other indications of patterned settlement or movement to complete the text descriptions.

The timeline was helpful, but it was only of Scotland up to 1690. A timeline for the Scotch Irish from 1610 forward would have been more germane.

The book first covers Scottish culture prior to the migration of Lowland Scots to Northern Ireland. Then in 1610 King James of England opened Northern Ireland, aka Ulster, to both English and Scottish settlers at the expense of the native Irish. This act set the stage for the current strife and political separation of Northern Ireland.

Through four generations, the Scottish settlers in Northern Ireland became culturally separated from the Scotland of their origin. Then many of them immigrated to America in five great waves between 1717 and 1775, entering colonial America primarily through Pennsylvania and migrating south through the Virginia valley. Initially, these people were commonly referred to as Irish. The term "Scotch Irish" was later invoked to distinguish them from the Irish immigrating to America from the southern part of Ireland.

The lives and contributions of the Scotch Irish in America are described. Separate identity of the Scotch Irish essentially ends with the American Revolution, after which these people meld into the overall cultural fabric of the United States.

Scottish people don't refer to themselves as "Scotch".......2005-07-27

Scots, maybe, but usually just plain Scottish. Scotch is a common name for whisky. It amazes me how many people here tell me that they are "Scotch-Irish" - to me it makes them sound like an idiot.

"For They Desired a Better Country"-Hebrews 11:16.......2004-03-18

This is the first book I've read about the Scotch Irish and seems to be the accepted standard on the subject.

Professor Leyburn explains in his introduction that his book is "a social history of the Scotch-Irish. In this day of specialization, a social historian who undertakes to recount the life of people through three centuries and in three countries knowingly risks his scholarly head. Experts in Scottish, Irish, and American colonial history can only regard him as...ignorant of the finer points within their special fields. Scottish history is full of old controversies...Irish history has been so turbulent...few of its events is agreed upon." And Leyburn accomplishes this in only 330 pages. He divides his book into three parts:the Scot in 1600, the Scots in Ireland, the Scotch-Irish in America.

Being a southerner with Scotch-Irish roots in Tennessee, I was upset early on when Leyburn stated that Teddy Roosevelt's and others' claims that the Scotch-Irish were hardy, honorable folk was overblown. (Teddy's mother, Eleanor's grandmother, was a native Georgian, hardened, undoubtedly, by the Civil War's trials, Sherman's fiery footprints, amongst other things). Some of the trials of the Ulster scots in war and life and the deprivations they had to endure reminded me of the 40 day siege of Vicksburg, MS and the resiliency demonstrated by its citizens during the civil war. However, later on in the book, Leyburn's careful reasoning convinced me that he was more realistic. What stirred my thinking was Leyburn's comments in Chapter 16 when he states "political opinion and activity among the Scotch-Irish varied enormously from place to place. The whole mythology concerning this people rests upon a false assumption:that all Scotch-Irish thought alike. Why should they? They had come from different social classes back home; they entered America during six decades of remarkable fluctuation in ideas; they lived in colonies whose policies, attitudes, Indian problems, and progress toward stable institutions diverged widely." One can validate that statement easily by simply surfing the web and looking at the politics of numerous U.S. presidents with Scotch-Irish roots and see the "divergence" Leyburn speaks of.

I do believe, however, that Teddy Roosevelt's assertion that some Ulster Scots, Scotch-Irish, did play a pivotal role in early American history has many proofs. In Pennsylvania, as Leyburn recounts, in 1764, Ulster Scots pushed for equal representation within the state which was dominated by the minority quaker population concentrated around Philadelphia. That issue was one which the Scot felt most keenly following the Union of the crowns in 1707 accomplished during Queen Anne's reign; in parliament, Scots nobles were unfairly outnumbered by their English counterparts, see Paterson's History of Ayrshire.

I do believe some of these simple, biblically literate peoples, did desire a better country, and considered it their God-given task to try to make it a reality. The Baptists in Virginia, James Madison's state, were a significant force behind the freedom of religion/separation of church and state movement; ONE I FIRMLY BELIEVE MUST BE MAINTAINED! Just look at the bloody history of Christian Great Britain 300 years before the Revolutionary War; events that brought persecuted immigrants to the U.S. in the first place. The stuff seminarians don't study!

If you are an American doing geneaological research on your Scotch-Irish roots this is the resource book to get. I must add, too, if you have French Huguenot roots, they might have resided in Northern Ireland, in Ulster, before coming to America. I thought Leyburn was mistaken when he referred to Alexander Hamilton as an Ulster Scot. I know for a fact (court records) that his Hamilton ancestors were Scots from Ayrshire on the western coast of Scotland. That portion of Ayr, however, is extremely close to Northern Ireland, just a hop, skip, and a jump away! Alexander Hamilton's mother was French Huguenot, possibly her ancestors left Ulster to settle in Nevis, West Indies. Leyburn's statement is therefore correct again. Chapters 12 and 13 cover the conditions prompting immigration and the actual areas of settlement in colonial America of Scotch-Irish. Many people have been researching my Hamilton ancestors for years and can't get past 1780. Many of Leyburn's analyses are correct I believe.

A New Ireland by John Hume is on my books to read list about the 1998 Good Friday peace accord. Another book highly recommended to me is The Triumph of the Laity: Scots-Irish Piety and the Great Awakening, 1625-1760 by Marilyn J. Westerkamp. Hopefully, that book will give me a better understanding of my ancestors' background.

I gave the 5 star rating because I believe the subject matter warrants further study and is relevant for today. Truly understanding Ulster's history, (I believe), the conflicts, the circumstances and the social make-up of Northern Ireland itself, at distinct times in its history, is essential to the peace process there.

Thoroughly Documented & Well Written.......2004-01-25

Professor Leyburn left a valuable legacy in this volume. A niche of American history is covered that sadly, frequently goes overlooked. The Scotch-Irish are a substantial part of the U.S. population. Thankfully Dr. Leyburn told some of the story and it wasn't lost. He tells us in the foreword, "Histories of Scotland rarely devote more than a paragraph to the departure of thousands of Lowland Scots to Ireland in the seventeenth century." It is significant to Americans because "they came, two hundred thousand strong, to the American colonies in the eighteenth century."

They enthusiastically supported the American Revolution (as in significantly caused it to happen) and thought of themselves as "Americans" rather than Scotch-Irish.

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

It's hard to believe this thoughtful memoir is Anne Batterson's first book, so elegantly does she weave a chronicle of her five-week trip across America to observe migratory birds with recollections of the key people and moments in her life. Batterson was 56 when she took off from Connecticut on the journey she knew was quixotic, designed to stem her rising panic at her beloved second husband's talk of leaving his post as an Episcopalian minister. "Retirement, he would try out over the dinner table," she writes. "More time. Enough time... What I heard was: Hurry. Hurry. There's no time." Though she had behind her decades of adventure as a skydiver, pilot, and mountain trekker, Batterson still felt a keen need for risk-taking and solitude. With the blessings of her understanding spouse, David, she packed up her VW bus camper and took off. The present-tense narrative of her travels has a marvelous immediacy, from the lyrical (yet often slyly funny) descriptions of birdwatching, to emotional accounts of visits, to friends suffering their own midlife crises. Her past comes vibrantly to life in bravura passages capturing the thrill of skydiving (especially a terrifying jump in the middle of a lightning storm) and the pain of her failed first marriage to a flight instructor "who taught me how to loop the loop. Boy did he ever." She comes home to David and the knowledge that her wanderlust makes her who she is. The book closes with Batterson admitting, "I've always wanted to go above the Arctic Circle," as David laughs and she kisses the palm of his hand, murmuring, "God, I'm lucky." Readers will feel just as lucky to have shared the experiences related here with such tenderness and hard-won wisdom. --Wendy Smith

Book Description

Set against a spontaneous cross-country road trip following the migrating birds, this passionate, lyrical memoir is one woman's reflections on midlife, her important personal relationships, her kaleidoscopic past, and her uncertain future.

To fifty-six-year-old Anne Batterson, a woman whose life has been filled with adventure -- as a commercial pilot, an international skydiving champion, a trekking guide in Nepal -- her husband's decision to retire felt like a death sentence. Yearning for some way to reconcile herself to the future that was rapidly unfolding before her, she packed up her VW camper and hit the road with maps, bird guides, and little else except the desire to follow the fall migration and the bone-deep hunch that birds had something important to teach her.

In this beautifully written narrative of that extraordinary trip, Batterson writes movingly not only about her experiences with the birds but also about the people she loves, has lost, and connects with along the way. Events from the present trigger vivid stories from the past. In the chapter "The Journey Within the Journey," a long, lonely night in a deserted campground in Virginia conjures up the ghosts of a desperate solo road trip she made when she was twenty-one. A towering cumulus cloud in Illinois brings back a breathtaking free fall into a similar cloud in "My Time as a Bird." An encounter with a great blue heron summons a compelling account of her mother's last afternoon in the world. "Bears in the Woods" describes a run-in with two Deliverance-type men in West Virginia, which brings back the murder of a dear friend in the woods of Connecticut.

By the end of the journey, the ghosts of the past, like the author herself, have become part of a more fluid, more spiritual reality -- wild and spare and elegant and timeless -- one that is always out there, "quickening on the far side of reality."

A unique mix of memoir and nature writing, The Black Swan is a charming story of a woman's odyssey.

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For fifty-six-year-old Anne Batterson, a woman whose life has been filled with adventure -- as a pilot, a trekking guide in Nepal, an international skydiving champion, a wife and mother -- retirement was a depressing acknowledgement of advancing years. Though her life and marriage were still fulfilling, Anne yearned for some way of reconciling herself to the future. So she packed up her VW camper and hit the road with maps, bird guides, and little else in the way of a plan except to follow migrating birds. The Black Swan is a narrative of that extraordinary trip. In addition to beautifully describing bird migration across the United States, Batterson writes movingly about her children, her husband, her parents, and her own remarkable achievements. And it is through this spiritual journey, combined with the arduous but rewarding physical journey across the country, that Anne Batterson finds self-awareness and ultimately, peace. A unique mix of memoir and nature writing, The Black Swan is a lovely story of a woman's coming of age.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing and couragous.......2003-01-23

I met Anne at a CT Authors and Publishers meeting where she was the guest speaker. She kept us enthralled with her tales and adventures in her journey to be published after she had written this book. The journey never stops. I found it very inspiring to see someone have both the courage and support to take off on a cross country journey and then write about it. My ownself, I have fictionalized my experiences in "Forever Retro Blues." I am in awe of anyone who can put themselves out there like Anne did. It's a spiritual quest in addition to the physical one of finding herself in mid-life. Well done, Anne, well done.

Aviation, Vertical, Horizontal and More........2002-11-29

As an international skydiving champion, Anne Batterson was someone I admired when I began jumping in 1962. She went on to become a flight instructor and charter pilot. She understands flight and is fascinated by all who fly.

Batterson describes her following of a fall bird migration with flashbacks to her earlier adventures. I loved reading about her skydiving in the early days.

She relates the need to be alone from time to time.

A good writer with a large and varied vocabulary, she crafts a good read.

As an author, publisher and skydiver, I found this book fascinating and fun to read.

Dan Poynter, ParaPublishing.com

Author Needs to Dig Deeper.......2002-03-14

This book chronicles Anne Batterson's solo road trip at the age of 56 to confront midlife while following the fall bird migration. Overall the book is well written but just never seems to go anywhere. There are moments of soul baring but for the most part this reader found the book superficial. With so many adventures to her credit entailing more risk than most of us dare, it is sad that this author didn't risk sharing more of herself.

The Black Swan.......2001-08-16

A beautiful, subtle, completely absorbing story that will stir the reader's own internal wild bird. It was such a privilege to share Ms. Batterson's journey. Hard to believe this is her first book and can't wait to read more from her.

Is Taiwan Chinese?: The Impact of Culture, Power, and Migration on Changing Identities (Interdisciplinary Studies of China, 2)

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The Description of this book is Misleading.
The answers I was looking for !
Very insightful !
Been Waiting For This!

Is Taiwan Chinese?: The Impact of Culture, Power, and Migration on Changing Identities (Interdisciplinary Studies of China, 2)
Melissa J. Brown
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0520231821

Book Description

The "one China" policy officially supported by the People's Republic of China, the United States, and other countries asserts that there is only one China and Taiwan is a part of it. The debate over whether the people of Taiwan are Chinese or independently Taiwanese is, Melissa J. Brown argues, a matter of identity: Han ethnic identity, Chinese national identity, and the relationship of both of these to the new Taiwanese identity forged in the 1990s. In a unique comparison of ethnographic and historical case studies drawn from both Taiwan and China, Brown's book shows how identity is shaped by social experience--not culture and ancestry, as is commonly claimed in political rhetoric.

Customer Reviews:

The Description of this book is Misleading........2006-06-25

"The "one China" policy officially supported by the People's Republic of China, the United States, and other countries asserts that there is only one China and Taiwan is a part of it." The Description of this book is Misleading.

United States acknowledged China's claim but do not agree with "Taiwan is a part of China". United states position is the resolution shall be peaceful.

The answers I was looking for !.......2006-05-11

If - like me - you are interested in the title's answer, Ms.Brown's is the book! Quoting some of her words: " Many events are completely unknown to us, many events are known only through extremely biased perspectives, and many events are so contradictorily reported that is difficult to reconstruct even a chronological sequence of what occurred". And - believe me! - Ms. Brown interviewed people - in Taiwan ( living there) and interviewed people - in China !!! We are talking about an Stanford University Professor. Congratulations and thanks to Amazon .

Very insightful !.......2005-09-19

I'm a Taiwanese myself. Even though the content of this book is not new to me, it still provides a fantastic read for me personally and I can imagine it'd be more fantastic for someone wishing to know more about Taiwan. Because Taiwan is so isolated in the international arena, books such as this one is highly recommended for the average person. The only aspect I did not like about this book is the first part of this book's title: "Is Taiwan Chinese?". I'd just like to inform readers that all the population in Asian countries (east, north and south east) all originated from China. So basically everyone is Chinese, so it doesn't just apply to Taiwan. It is like saying: Is Australia British? Nevertheless, a rather informative book for all.

Been Waiting For This!.......2004-02-02

At last, a book that covers an aspect of Taiwanese history and culture not often discussed until recent years: the Taiwanese people are a hybrid people. Many have some Plains Aborigine blood (traced on the maternal side). But, with cultural stigma, many Plains Aborigines and part Plains Aborigines forfeited their identity and were absorbed by "Han" identity. I've been waiting for a book in English to discuss this area and am glad Melissa Brown published this book.

Asian and Pacific Islander Migration to the United States: A Model of New Global Patterns (Contributions in Ethnic Studies)

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Asian and Pacific Islander Migration to the United States: A Model of New Global Patterns (Contributions in Ethnic Studies)
Elliott Robert Barkan
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0313275386

Book Description

This novel analysis of contemporary Asian and Pacific Islander immigration to the United States offers the most up-to-date synthesis of findings on global migration today. It presents a series of principles regarding new double-step patterns in population movements at the end of the twentieth century. This discussion of new paths and modes of world migration in a rimless world is intended for a broad, inter-disciplinary audience of students, teachers, and professionals in ethnic studies, U.S. history, Asian and Asian-American studies, studies relating to the Pacific Rim, sociology, demographics, and international relations. This study of multi-level and multi-directional global migration opens with an analysis of world migration theory, macro and micro factors in international migration, and a review of research about recent migration patterns. Next, this study offers twenty-seven propositions about factors that have affected decisions of peoples to move elsewhere, their adjustment to new countries, their return migrations, and the impact of international migration. Asian and Pacific Islander immigration to the United States is examined along with extensive data based on U.S. immigration records. This fourth wave of immigration to the United States is then analyzed in detail. Accompanying this data and analysis is a model of double stepwise international migration--extremely useful for those studying the intricacies of global patterns of migration. Barkan concludes with other data on mobility variables, an appendix, and an index.

Antonio's Gun and Delfino's Dream: True Tales of Mexican Migration

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Inspiring stories of Mexican diaspora
Tales Across the Border
Must-Buy Book for Folks Interested in Great Reads

Antonio's Gun and Delfino's Dream: True Tales of Mexican Migration
Sam Quinones
Manufacturer: University of New Mexico Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Mexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 082634254X

Book Description

Sam Quinones's first book, True Tales From Another Mexico, was acclaimed for the way it peered into the corners of that country for its larger truths and complexities. Antonio's Gun and Delfino's Dream, Quinones's second collection of nonfiction tales, does the same for one of the most important issues of our times: the migration of Mexicans to the United States.

Quinones has covered the world of Mexican immigrants for the last thirteen years--from Chicago to Oaxaca, Michoacan to southeast Los Angeles, Tijuana to Texas. Along the way, he has uncovered stories that help illuminate all that Mexicans seek when they come north, how they change their new country, and are changed by it.

Here are the stories of the Henry Ford of velvet painting in Ciudad Juarez, the emergence of opera in Tijuana, the bizarre goings-on in the L.A. suburb of South Gate, and of the drug-addled colonies of Old World German Mennonites in Chihuahua. Through it all winds the tale of Delfino Juarez, a young construction worker, and modern-day Huckleberry Finn, who had to leave his village to change it.

"Sam Quinones is a border legend. For those in the know, his reportage has been cause for celebration. Now, with Antonio's Gun and Delfino's Dream he takes us behind the lines and undercover. He puts a human face on 'illegal immigration,' and he gives us stunning stories of survival and dread. However, he accomplishes something more valuable than a mere parade of sensational set pieces--Quinones starts to put the complex issues in the light of understanding and hard-won wisdom."--Luis A. Urrea, author of The Devil's Highway and The Hummingbird's Daughter

These stories of real people who have immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico show how they have changed their new country and how they are changed by it.

Customer Reviews:

Inspiring stories of Mexican diaspora.......2007-09-05

A collection of short stories of the Mexican diaspora, saddening, uplifting and inspirational by turns that challenge the stereotype of the illegal immigrant on US media outlets. Hopefully readers will be able to bring rationality and even humanity to the immigration debate after reading these insightful stories.

Tales Across the Border.......2007-07-26

In 2002 Ruben Martinez published "Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail". The book did a wonderful job of telling the story about an extended family separated by the U.S.-Mexico border. Sam Quinones' book "Antonio's Gun and Delfino's Dream" is an equally compelling and well written, researched book. The three part story of Delfino Juarez is without comparison. Plus, the chapter on migrants from Atolinga, Zacatecas to Chicago who entered the non-Franchise fast food industry is GREAT. My only concern about the book is that Quinones sets out to tell tales about the things Mexican migrants (to the U.S.) want. Ok, generally speaking he succeeded. I was bothered by the fact that Sam seems to lose focus on migrants to the U.S. For example the book has chapters that address such topics as the rise of Opera in Tijuana, Velvet painting in Juarez, and drug smuggling into U.S. and Canada. While the chapters are facinating and well written, I felt these topics did not tie into Quinones' stated objective. Aside from this concern, Sam Quinones obviously poured his heart into the project. Kudos to him. A very good read!

Must-Buy Book for Folks Interested in Great Reads.......2007-05-25

Sam Quinones is the best journalist about Mexican immigration, and this collection shows it. But even if you don't care about Mexicans, the writing here is brilliant--all the essays. Great book!

Children of Global Migration: Transnational Families and Gendered Woes

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Timely shipping/Excellent Condition
Finally a book that looks on children left behind!

Children of Global Migration: Transnational Families and Gendered Woes
Rhacel Parrenas
Manufacturer: Stanford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Emigration & Immigration | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers

ASIN: 0804749450
Release Date: 2005-03-25

Book Description

In the Philippines, a dramatic increase in labor migration has created a large population of transnational migrant families. Thousands of children now grow up apart from one or both parents, as the parents are forced to work outside the country in order to send their children to school, give them access to quality health care, or, in some cases, just provide them with enough food. While the issue of transnational families has already generated much interest, this book is the first to offer a close look at the lives of the children in these families.

Drawing on in-depth interviews with the family members left behind, the author examines two dimensions of the transnational family. First, she looks at the impact of distance on the intergenerational relationships, specifically from the children’s perspective. She then analyzes gender norms in these families, both their reifications and transgressions in transnational households. Acknowledging that geographical separation unavoidably strains family intimacy, Parreñas argues that the maintenance of traditional gender ideologies exacerbates and sometimes even creates the tensions that plague many Filipino migrant families.

Customer Reviews:

Timely shipping/Excellent Condition.......2007-02-14

Book arrived sooner than expected, in condition just as good as the description

Finally a book that looks on children left behind!.......2005-07-19

This book gives insight into the lives of children who live in transnational households in the Philippines. It illustrates the child's perspective on international migration and trys to show what it means to be a child who is nurtured from parents that do not live in geographical proximity.
Central to Parrenas analysis is her focus on gender in this book. She shows how traditional gender and care expectations influence the experience of children in transnational households and the experiences of migrant mothers and fathers. The author argues that the traditional values of the mother as the 'light of the house' and the father as the 'pilar of the house' confront migrant parents with very different expectations that they need to fulfill in order to live up to their children's expectations. While the father is traditionally responsible for the economic well-being of his family, the mother is the nurturer of the family, her main task is to provide emotional security for her children. Thus, while fathers migrate to secure the financial well-being of the family and in doing so fulfill their traditional gender role, migrant mothers seem to violate their role. Mothers who migrate do not only have to provide material security to their children, but also have to continue to provide nurturing and emotional work from far away if they want their children to accept their migration.
The book is based on in depth interviews which Parrenas conducted with migrant 'children' (young adults, usually in college, i.e. around the age of 17-24) and their caretakers in the Philippines. The book would benefit from a truely anthropological perspective gained through participant observation as the question: do children really live as they say they live remains to be answered. Many children talk about their perspective on their parents' migration as they experienced when younger, or when their parents had left, however, we may not forget that perspectives change over time, thus the book does not provide true insight into the actual life experience of migration when it happens, or in the life of younger children. All that is presented here is retrospection and the experience of young adults whose parents live abroad. Not, as the title might let the reader assume, a children's perspective on migration.
However, considering the fact that the book is unique of its kind and work on children's experiences of migration is rare, the book is a good read for all those who want to learn about the experiences of children left behind.

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Stare the facts in the face
An in-depth comparison of parallel experiences
Good overview of histories of migrant ethnic groups in often historically ignored settings
Thoughtful, Persuasive Examination of Migrants Across the Globe
Migrations and Cultures

Migrations and Cultures: A World View
Thomas Sowell
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0465045898

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To future generations, the late 20th century may come to be known as the time of the DPs: Displaced Persons. Migration and refugeeism are raising inflammatory issues from unified Germany to the Tex-Mex border. Into this whirlpool of half-truths, sermons, prejudices, and fears dives Hoover Institution economist and syndicated columnist Thomas Sowell. It is not necessary to agree with all of Sowell's views to admire his imposing attempt to arrive at a theory of migration and culture. Or to succumb to his fascinating tales of how immigrants from Germany, Japan, China, and other countries have coped--and excelled--on strange new shores.

Customer Reviews:

Stare the facts in the face.......2007-10-11

Hooray for Thomas Sowell again. This books brings you in contact with the essential facts of people migrations and more...

He covers the German, Japanese, Italian, Chinese, Jewish and Indian migrations. Cultures are not equal was one of the main conclusions I received from this book.

As a result of this book I have found a deeper respect for the cultures mentioned in the book. I also see that the lives built by these people was built from pure grit and toil.

How does my culture affect my future? How does my culture affect my economic well-being? These are all questions I have come to ask as a result of reading this book.

This book is the second book in a series. The series is as follows:
1) Race and Culture
2) Migration and Culture
3) Conquest and Culture
and a 4th related book called Affirmative Action an Empirical Study

This book has shaped my personal view of immigration, emigration and minorities. I now can base my views on historical facts rather than popular or polarizing news articles.

An in-depth comparison of parallel experiences.......2007-09-10

With his usual detailed analysis and commentary, Thomas Sowell takes a look at the experiences of 6 groups that have migrated to different areas of the world over the centuries. He pays particular attention to the economic success these groups have had, and possible reasons for this success. He gives credible explanations for what these groups have accomplished, though he gives more attention to some of these groups than to others. While allowing for a variety of differences in their experiences, Dr. Sowell does extract some shared qualities within these groups: a strong work ethic, financial prudence, and the establishment of an economic niche based partially on the unwillingness of native-born groups to perform certain jobs. Moreover, he points out that, with respect to several of these groups, their success in their adopted nations has often aroused the jealousy and anger of native-born groups (i.e., the Chinese in Southeast Asia and the Indians in East Africa). To this end, Dr. Sowell argues that such resentment often stems from disparities between the achievement of these immigrant groups and that of native-born groups. He cites some examples of this resentment being taken to unfortunate extremes (i.e., the expulsion of the Indians from Uganda and anti-Chinese pogroms in Malaysia), and how the resentment came back to injure the native-born population (especially in Uganda). This is a refreshingly candid look at comparative immigrant experiences, as told by a great writer.

Good overview of histories of migrant ethnic groups in often historically ignored settings.......2007-03-05

This particular title provides an overview of the histories of migrant groups of German, Japanese, Italian, Chinese, Jewish, and Indian ancestry.

The book specifically provides an account of major demographic trends and political events that have occurred to the migrant groups through stretches of history, both in their home countries as well as their destinations. This account provides clues for the reasons behind the migrants' departures, their selection of particular destinations, and the characterized attitudes and skills that the migrants brought with them to where they settled.

The demographic component of this history is summarized by Sowell's hypothesized cultural attributes, backed by an impressive compilation of statistical evidence from the most accurate sources available to someone studying the topic in the modern era.

The book notes some of the major effects of the migration and subsequent settlement (or return sojourney) on both the migrants and the other ethnic groups living in close proximity to the migrants.

This book provides an historical overview of groups that many people may not have heard of. For myself, learning about the history of such groups as the Volga Germans, the Sephardim in Holland, the Italians in Argentina, the Japanese in Peru, the Chinese in the Carribean, and the Indians in Eastern Africa was an eye-opener.

The one potential drawback to this book lies in its uneven accounting of major political events for a few ethnic groups. The book covers the political history of the Sri Lankan conflict and the Jews in Western/Germanic/Slavic Europe some detail, but I would have liked to learn more about the Chinese in Southeast Asia (though the book includes a brief summary of the political events surrounding the formation of Singapore).

A few groups I would have liked to learn more about are not included, either, such as the Germans in the Hapsburg Empire and the Japanese in Manchuko/Manchuria. Still, considering the amount of research, composition, and revision that writing a book of this size and scope must have required, I can't fault the author for the work he did do.

The cultural characteristics that Sowell attributes to different groups of migrants (and supports with evidence) provide some food for thought as well. He provides examples of cultural attitudes and subsequent behaviors that may help or hinder economic development in specific industries, and backs up his fairly common-sense theories with evidence. (A few notable examples are how Jews succeeded in textiles but failed in agriculture, and how Southern Italians were noted as hard urban workers but rarely entered entrepreneurial positions.)

If you are looking for a more detailed history of specific events, this book may not be for you. But as an overview of specific groups, this book does a more-than-admirable job.

Thoughtful, Persuasive Examination of Migrants Across the Globe.......2006-07-08

Distinguished Stanford University economist Thomas Sowell's "Migrations and Cultures: A World View" is the most thoughtful, articulate examination of immigration across the globe which I've encountered (Though, I might add, that I am not surprised that this book is truly exceptional, given Sowell's keen interest in - and superb scholarship on - this very subject, which I came across for the first time years ago in his earlier book "Ethnic America: A History".). Sowell traces the immigration histories of six Eurasian peoples: Germans, Japanese, Italians, Chinese, Jews and Indians (from the Indian subcontinent, NOT the Americas). He contends that the relative success of these peoples as migrants owes more to their cultural capital (the set of beliefs and practices taken from their ancestral homelands) than to the economic capital of their new countries. It is a compelling argument which he demonstrates repeatedly, tracing the migration patterns of each of these peoples across the globe. Furthermore, it is an argument which is well-reasoned, fully supported by ample data, noting for example, the degree to which Indian migrants from different parts of India have been able to accrue wealth for themselves and their descendants in far-flung regions such as East Africa, Caribbean islands, and the United States (For example, he observes that Guajaratis, migrants from the Indian state of Guajarat, are far more likely to become successful entrepreneurs than those from other Indian states, since Guajarat has had a long history of successful entrepreneurship; in a similar vein, he compares and contrasts the relative economic fortunes of Western European Jews with those from Eastern Europe, noting that the former were more likely to become successful, due to a much stronger entrepreneurial tradition in Western Europe.).

I believe "Migrants and Cultures: A World View" should be read here in the United States by a wide readership, since Sowell's arguments deserve to be considered seriously in the ongoing debate over illegal immigration. Furthermore, much to his credit, Sowell suceeds in presenting an objective view of immigration, especially here in the United States, in which he notes that the relative cultural capital of emigrant peoples has had a more important influence on their relative success than our liberal, fairly progressive laws on economic and personal freedom. Sowell concludes his book with an intriguing observation on the effectiveness of educating foreign-born "sojourners" here in the United States and other Western democracies in the hope that they would return to their home countries with our knowledge, skills and attitudes on economic and political freedom; he contends that the rise of what he regards as managerial and technological capital via multinational corporations, has lessened the need for human capital transfers via "sojourners" (Written just as the internet was rapidly emerging, I suspect that Sowell in an updated edition of this book, might make a more persuasive argument by citing the successful existence of the internet.). If my interpretation of Sowell's closing arguments is correct, then I predict that he would not share such an optimistic view of contemporary and future American immigration presented in journalist Michele Wucker's recently published book "Lockout: Why America Keeps Getting Immigration Wrong When Our Prosperity Depends on Getting It Right".

Migrations and Cultures.......2006-03-09

Dr. Sowell has again done a masterful job of presenting information on the status of minorities, both historically and geographically, which is usually not included in the debate about the situation of the minorities in the United States. His insights are very useful and should be included in every high school and college curriculum.

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