Democracy in Immigrant America

by Ramakrishnan, S. Karthick

• ISBN13: 9780804755924
• ISBN10: 0804755922
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-12-01
• Publisher: Stanford Univ Pr

Summary

Democracy in Immigrant Americaprovides a comprehensive analysis of democratic participation among first- and second-generation immigrants in the United States, addressing the questions that are integral to understanding the present-day realities of immigrant politics: How are immigrants changing the racial and ethnic makeup of the American electorate? How do their numbers compare to those in the early 20th century? Do traditional models of political behavior explain the voting participation of immigrants, and should new factors related to immigrant adaptation be considered? By addressing these questions,Democracy in Immigrant Americapoints the way forward for a new research agenda in immigrant politics.

Author Biography

S. Karthick Ramakrishnan is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Riverside.

Table of Contents

List of Tables	ix
List of Figures	xi
Acknowledgments	xiii
1. Introduction	1
2. Studying the Newcomers	9
3. A Matter of Numbers: Immigrant Demographics and the Electoral Process	26
4. Are the Newcomers Exceptional? The Applicability of Traditional Models to Immigrant Political Participation	39
5. From Newcomers to Settlers: Immigrant Adaptation and Political Participation	72
6. Were They Pushed? Political Threat, Institutional Mobilization, and Immigrant Voting	116
7. Beyond the Ballot Box: Nonvoting Political Behavior Across Immigrant Generations	144
8. The Future of Immigrant Political Participation: Directions in Policy and Research	161
Appendix	169
Notes	189
Bibliography	201
Index	215