Immigrant Families aims to capture the richness, complexity, and
diversity that characterize contemporary immigrant families in the
United States. In doing so, it reaffirms that the vast majority of
people do not migrate as isolated individuals, but are members of
families.
There is no quintessential immigrant experience, as immigrants and their
families arrive with different levels of economic, social, and cultural
resources, and must navigate various social structures that shape how
they fare. Immigrant Families highlights the hierarchies and
inequities between and within immigrant families created by key axes of
inequality such as legal status, social class, gender, and generation.
Drawing on ethnographic, demographic, and historical scholarship, the
authors highlight the transnational context in which many contemporary
immigrant families live, exploring how families navigate care,
resources, expectations, and aspirations across borders. Ultimately, the
book analyzes how dynamics at the individual, family, and community
levels shape the life chances and wellbeing of immigrants and their
families.
As the United States turns its attention to immigration as a critical
social issue, Immigrant Families encourages students, scholars, and
policy makers to center family in their discussions, thereby
prioritizing the human and relational element of human mobility.
