Not Fit for Our Society: Immigration and Nativism in America by Peter Schrag
"Just who is fit to be part of the society that became a nation in 1776 and who decides, and on what basis? In Not Fit for Our Society, Peter Schrag offers an invigorating, well-informed, carefully reasoned investigation into today's immigration debates."--David Hollinger, President of the Organization of American Historians, 2010-2011
"Peter Schrag has a unique view of the immigration debate and policies that have shaped our country since it's founding. His very timely writing of Not Fit for our Society helps us to better understand how the immigration debate and politics have gotten us to where we are today. His insights and intellect on the subject give all of us much to think about as we move forward on this very important issue."--Doris O. Matsui, Member of Congress
"Peter Schrag has done it again. A sweeping review that puts the ferocity of our current immigration debate in historical context, Not Fit for Our Society is a must-read for those hoping to get past talk-show rhetoric and cherry-picked facts. Uncovering the dark impulses that have long undergirded nativist thought, he argues that we have seen this before--and that America will be better if we see through it again."--Manuel Pastor, University of Southern California
"Peter Schrag offers a lively and thoughtful reinterpretation of America's ambivalence about immigration and immigrants' place in the nation's life. Drawing on his reading of primary sources and the latest scholarship, he tells a story rich in irony, detail, and nuance, tracing the history of nativism from the earliest days of the Republic to the current debates over immigration reform. The book is particularly striking for the way that it connects the arguments and organizations of the current anti-immigration movement to their roots in the eugenics movement and pseudo-scientific racism of the early 20th century."--Mark Paul, New America Foundation
"[Schrag] delivers a story rich in irony, detail, and nuance, often told with passion and frequently challenging orthodoxies of both the political right and left. It is the right book at the right time."-Mark Paul, New America Foundation
"History's lessons come through loud and clear as Peter Schrag vividly recounts the characters and the ideas behind that side of America that rejects immigration. Illuminating both in its sweep and its detail this 300-year narrative makes an important contribution to our understanding of today's policy debates."--Roberto Suro, author of Strangers Among US: Latino Lives in a Changing America
"In an intemperate time, Peter Schrag's voice is lucid and truly American."--Richard Rodriguez
Publication Details
Title:
Author(s):
Illustrator:
Binding: Hardcover
Published by: University of California Press: , 2010
Edition:
ISBN: 9780520259782 | 0520259785
300 pages.
Book Condition: Very Good
light wear / marks
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