Immigrants in Two Democracies : French and American Experiences

International migration is often considered a relatively new development in world history. Yet, while there has been a surge in migration since World War II, the worldwide movement of peoples is a longstanding phenomenon. So, too, are the fundamental issues raised by immigration. How do immigrants fit into and affect the polity and society of the country they enter? What changes can or must the receiving state make to accomodate them? What changes in culture and ethnic indentity do immigrants undergo in their new environment? How do they relate to the mix of peoples already present in their new homeland What determines the policies that govern their reception and treatment? In this volume, expertly edited by a leading American political scientist-lawyer and a leading French historian, twenty-one renowned experts on immigration address these questions and a variety of other issues involving the experiences of immigrants in the city, at the workplace, and in schools and churches. Their essays examine the issues of nationality, citizenship, law, and politics that define the life of an immigrant population. Focusing on the United States and France, this voluem is a social history and a legal and public policy study that comprehensively portrays the dilemmas immigrants present and face. Contributors include Sophie Body-Gendrot, Danielle Boyzon-Frader, Andre-Clement Decoufle, Veronique de Rudder, Lawrence H. Fuchs, Nathan Glazer, Philip Gleason, Stanley Lieberson, Lance Liebman, Daniele Lochak, Michel Oriol, Martin A. Schain, Peter H. Schuck, Roxane Silberman, Werner Sollors, Stephan Thernstrom, Maryse Tripier, Maris A. Vinovskis, and Myron Weiner.