Eli Lederhendler's Jewish Immigrants and American Capitalism; 1880-1920: From Caste to Class reexamines the immigration of Russian Jews to the United States around the turn of the 20th century - a group that accounted for 10 to 15 percent of immigrants to the United States between 1899 and 1920 - challenging and revising common assumptions concerning the ease of their initial adaptation and image as a "model" immigrant minority. Lederhendler demonstrates that the characteristics for which Jewish immigrants are commonly known - their industriousness; "middle-class" domestic habits; and political sympathy for the working class - were; in fact; developed in response to their new situation in the United States. This experience realigned Jewish social values and restored to these immigrants a sense of status; honor; and a novel kind of social belonging; and with it the "social capital" needed to establish a community quite different from the ones they came from.
#505340 in Books Cambridge University Press 1998-02-13Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.98 x .51 x 5.98l; .73 #File Name: 0521629438238 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Solid General SurveyBy S. PactorI think I've mentioned this before; but always be on the look out for history books; published by Cambridge University Press; that cost less then five bucks. Paying attention to the publisher can save you a lot of wasted reading time. A major trend in history over the last thirty years has been the shift away from books that dealt with The History of Country X or The History of the Such and Such War to books that try to relate multiple events to one another as well as the elaboration of areas of inquiry that span separate historical subjects. A major example of this trend is the rise of "Atlantic History" which seeks to relate what happened in the new world with events in the old world in a specific and non-specious manner. In American History; the most notable authors in this area are David Hackett Fischer and his seminal Albion's Seed as well as Bernard Bailyn. The Rise and Fall of the Plantation Complex is a simple example of what I would call the "new atlantic history;" written in an easy to read prose style that makes it accessible to anyone with an undergraduate level education. Curtin charts the rise of the Plantation complex in south America and the Caribbean with reference to the internal history of Africa; the settlement history of the New World; economic history and a heavy emphasis on demographics. It's a sophisticated; of the moment approach which undoubtably explains why the edition I read was the 13th edition of the 2nd printing (i.e. it's a hit.) Perhaps the success has something to do with the moderate length (200 pages) and almost total lack of foot notes- I'm guessing this book is an undergraduate staple in history departments on three different continents.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent. I only wish I could afford to buy ...By Gary M; CrethersExcellent. I only wish I could afford to buy the print edition. The problem with the kindle version is the graphics are hard to read.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy ChristineFantastic Book!
