History

Between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, an influx of Europeans, Asians, and Arabic speakers indelibly changed the face of Latin America. While many studies of this period focus on why the immigrants came to the region, this volume addresses how the newcomers helped construct national identities in the Caribbean, Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil.

In these essays, some of the most respected scholars of migration history examine the range of responses—some welcoming, some xenophobic—to the newcomers. They also look at the lasting effects that Jewish, German, Chinese, Italian, and Syrian immigrants had on the economic, sociocultural, and political institutions. These explorations of assimilation, race formation, and transnationalism enrich our understanding not only of migration to Latin America but also of the impact of immigration on the construction of national identity throughout the world.

D.R. Lynch, writes on http://www.cro3.org/content/52/07/52-3832.full
Focusing mainly on the Southern Cone, the Caribbean, and Mexico, editors Foote (Florida Gulf Coast Univ.) and Goebel (Freie Univ. Berlin) triangulate the histories of immigration, national identity, and Latin America as a region, seeing immigrants as actors in shaping national identity.  Individual contributors do this by examining multiple groups in one country or by investigating individual diasporas throughout the region.  Jeane DeLaney and Jürgen Buchenau, writing about Argentina and Mexico, respectively, exemplify the former approach.  DeLaney stands out as she demonstrates an “inclusive” national identity whereby immigrants did not simply assimilate; they were given a space to transform Argentine identity.  Strong essays by Foote and Stefan Rinke take a regional approach, painting a fuller image of migrations and national identities through Anglophone Caribbean and German immigrants.  If there is a weakness, it is that the volume does not completely justify “Latin America” as its unit of analysis, and most authors do best when addressing two out of the volume’s three concepts (immigrants, national identity, and region).  Quibbles aside, the authors present sophisticated arguments that contribute to the understanding of race, ethnicity, and national identity in Latin America, as well as broader discussions of nation-building projects. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic levels/libraries.
--D. R. Lynch, Knox College