2007 Choice Outstanding Academic Title
A comparative analysis of the U.S.'s contemporary immigrants to those who arrived a century ago
According to the 2000 census, more than 10% of U.S. residents were foreign born; together with their American-born children, this group constitutes one fifth of the nation's population. What does this mass immigration mean for America? Leading immigration studies scholar, Nancy Foner, answers this question in her study of comparative immigration. Drawing on the rich history of American immigrants and current statistical and ethnographic data, In a New Land compares today’s new immigrants with the past influxes of Europeans to the United States and across cities and regions within the United States. Foner looks at immigration across nation-states, and over different periods of time, offering a comprehensive assessment and analysis.
This original approach to the study of recent U.S. immigration focuses on race and ethnicity, gender, and transnational connections. Centering her analysis on the groups that have come through and significantly shaped New York City, Foner compares today’s Latin American, Asian, and Caribbean newcomers with eastern and southern European immigrants a century ago and with immigrants in other major U.S. cities. Looking beyond the United States, Foner compares West Indian immigrants in New York with those in London. And, more generally, the book views the process of immigrants’ integration in New York against other recent immigrant destinations in Europe.
Drawing on a wealth of historical and contemporary research, and written in a clear and lively style, In a New Land provides fresh insights into the dynamics of immigration today and the implications for where we are headed in the future.

"This important and timely book encompasses a great deal. . . . Foners definition of race in the 21st century is invaluable." - Choice

"Nancy Foner's book brings an innovative contribution to the domain of academic comparative ethnography . . . Her work reveals contemporary aspects of the subtle social forces at work in shaping immigration nowadays." - Finish Journal of Ethnicity and Migration

"In a New Land is the exceptionally well-written and thoughtful work of one innovative comparativist." - Journal of American Ethnic History

"Excellent reading for anyone interested in ethnicity, race, and immigration patterns and policies." - Journal of American History

"Foner does social science a great service, revealing . . . how immigration functions in other contexts, past and present, and in so doing unveiling the peculiarities of the United States as an immigrant-receiving society." - Contexts

"Immensely readable and interesting. . . . Scholars and students of immigration will surely find this book to be interesting, instructive, and indispensable." - International Migration Review

"This book should be both a pleasure to read for both those who are immersed in the study of immigration and those less versed in the history and dynamics of these movements. For the latter, In a New Land will provide an excellent and thought provoking introduction. For the former . . . the book will stimulate thought about how to better understand this complex process." - Anthropology and Education Quarterly

"In A New Land: A Comparative View of Immigration uses historical and modern research to provide new insights into today’s immigrants and how they are affecting societies around the world." - The Midwest Book Review

"It should be a first stop for anyone interested in issues of immigration and integration." - World Politics 60