Unlike the 1930s; when the United States tragically failed to open its doors to Europeans fleeing Nazism; the country admitted over three million refugees during the Cold War. This dramatic reversal gave rise to intense political and cultural battles; pitting refugee advocates against determined opponents who at times successfully slowed admissions. The first comprehensive historical exploration of American refugee affairs from the midcentury to the present; Americans at the Gate explores the reasons behind the remarkable changes to American refugee policy; laws; and programs. Carl Bon Tempo looks at the Hungarian; Cuban; and Indochinese refugee crises; and he examines major pieces of legislation; including the Refugee Relief Act and the 1980 Refugee Act. He argues that the American commitment to refugees in the post-1945 era occurred not just because of foreign policy imperatives during the Cold War; but also because of particular domestic developments within the United States such as the Red Scare; the Civil Rights Movement; the rise of the Right; and partisan electoral politics. Using a wide variety of sources and documents; Americans at the Gate considers policy and law developments in connection with the organization and administration of refugee programs.
#384431 in Books 2014-02-23Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.80 x .80 x 5.70l; .80 #File Name: 0691160937280 pages
Review
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Beeghly Library AcquisitionsGreat book; timely delivery.1 of 4 people found the following review helpful. The (American) Riddle of RaceBy Larry LundgrenDisclaimer: The title stopped me short the moment I saw it: “Creating A New Racial Orderâ€. I have never recovered. Therefore this first view in 496 words does only two things: 1) Tells you what you can learn from the heart of this book; 2) Asks you to reflect on the title very carefully and make yourself heard.The authors (p. 13): “Our central focus; however; is (on) the four transformative forces:†Immigration; Multiracialism; Genomics; Cohort Change (Ch. 2-5). These four chapters constitute the heart of the book and every reader can learn much about the extraordinary changes that have taken place in the United States in the decades since 1965 (p. 22). I would recommend this to anyone looking in from outside to learn of an America in transformation. Consider Ch. 2 introduced by: “Immigration is destabilizing and changing all five components of the American racial order†and then study fig. 2.2 to compare the percentages of immigrants classified by geographic region of origin; to see the dramatic change between the time when my Swedish forebears came (1880) to America and the time when I left (1996). Read this and the other core chapters carefully even if you read nothing more. You will be driven to raise question after question and also learn that they pose one question repeatedly; the same in every chapter; without ever being able to answer that question. The question: What is a race? Is it out of place for me to ask; if you the authors find yourselves totally unable to answer that question; then what are we to make of your commitment to “raceâ€? This leads us to the title.That first day; I could not get beyond reading the title. Why? Think back to the beginnings of these racial orders: South African; Swedish Institute of Race Biology 1922; USA 1790; and Adolf Hitler’s. What do all racial orders have in common at the time of their birth? What is the root condition that led to that “Fatal Inventionâ€; race?Therefore I raise two questions that the authors fail to address even though they apparently were well aware of former U.S. Census Bureau director Kenneth Prewitt’s work in progress “What Is Your Race?†Why would these three political scientists want to see the creation of a new racial order; given the origin of those I name above? Why also do they believe that the young can remake race when they themselves are unable even to tell us what this thing-race-is that is to be remade. They are political scientists so nobody needs to tell them that racial orders are not created by the young but rather by governments.The core of the book is valuable. Everything else I have to question. Final case in point: “…from the mid 1960 …to the end of the Twentieth century…most Americans agreed that there were four races Caucasian; African; Asian; and American Indian (p. 10).â€Not me;there is only one race; the human.2 of 12 people found the following review helpful. The (American) Riddle of RaceBy Larry LundgrenDisclaimer: The title stopped me short the moment I saw it: “Creating A New Racial Orderâ€. I have never recovered. Therefore this first view in 496 words does only two things: 1) Tells you what you can learn from the heart of this book; 2) Asks you to reflect on the title very carefully and make yourself heard.The authors (p. 13): “Our central focus; however; is (on) the four transformative forces:†Immigration; Multiracialism; Genomics; Cohort Change (Ch. 2-5). These four chapters constitute the heart of the book and every reader can learn much about the extraordinary changes that have taken place in the United States in the decades since 1965 (p. 22). I would recommend this to anyone looking in from outside to learn of an America in transformation. Consider Ch. 2 introduced by: “Immigration is destabilizing and changing all five components of the American racial order†and then study fig. 2.2 to compare the percentages of immigrants classified by geographic region of origin; to see the dramatic change between the time when my Swedish forebears came (1880) to America and the time when I left (1996). Read this and the other core chapters carefully even if you read nothing more. You will be driven to raise question after question and also learn that they pose one question repeatedly; the same in every chapter; without ever being able to answer that question. The question: What is a race? Is it out of place for me to ask; if you the authors find yourselves totally unable to answer that question; then what are we to make of your commitment to “raceâ€? This leads us to the title.That first day; I could not get beyond reading the title. Why? Think back to the beginnings of these racial orders: South African; Swedish Institute of Race Biology 1922; USA 1790; and Adolf Hitler’s. What do all racial orders have in common at the time of their birth? What is the root condition that led to that “Fatal Inventionâ€; race?Therefore I raise two questions that the authors fail to address even though they apparently were well aware of former U.S. Census Bureau director Kenneth Prewitt’s work in progress “What Is Your Race?†Why would these three political scientists want to see the creation of a new racial order; given the origin of those I name above? Why also do they believe that the young can remake race when they themselves are unable even to tell us what this thing-race-is that is to be remade. They are political scientists so nobody needs to tell them that racial orders are not created by the young but rather by governments.The core of the book is valuable. Everything else I have to question. Final case in point: “…from the mid 1960 …to the end of the Twentieth century…most Americans agreed that there were four races Caucasian; African; Asian; and American Indian (p. 10).â€Not me;there is only one race; the human.
