Between two nations : the political predicament of Latinos in New York City

Immigrants come to the United States from all over Latin America in search of better lives. They obtain residency status, find jobs, pay taxes, and they have children who are American citizens by birth; yet decades may go by before they seek citizenship for themselves or become active participants in the American political process. Between Two Nations examines the lack of political participation among Latin American immigrants in the United States to determine why so many remain outside the electoral process. Michael Jones-Correa studied the political practices of first-generation immigrants in New York City's multiethnic borough of Queens. Through intensive interviews and participant observation, he found that immigrant participation was stymied both by lack of encouragement to participate and by the requirement to renounce former citizenship, which raised the fear of never being able to return to the country of origin. The hesitation to naturalize as American citizens can extend over decades, leaving immigrants adrift in a political limbo. Between Two Nations is the first qualitative study of how new immigrants assimilate into American political life. Jones-Correa reexamines assumptions about Latino politics and the diversity of Latino populations in the United States, about the role of informal politics in immigrant communities, and about gender differences in approaches to political activity. Contents Maps and Figures Tables Acknowledgments Introduction: The New Hispanic Immigration I. Setting The Context 1. Intimate Strangers: Immigration to Queens 2. Participation in the American Polity: Why Citizenship Matters 3. Explaining Participation: Why It Takes So Long to Become a Citizen II. The Costs Of Choosing 4. Resistance from Outside: Machine Politics and the (Non) Incorporation of Immigrants 5. Resistance from Within: The Myth of Return and the Community of Memory III. Liminal Politics 6. In-between Identities: Race and Ethnicity in the American Context 7. The Politics of In-between: Avoiding Irreconcilable Demands, Keeping Loyalties IV. Breaking The Impasse 8. Wanting It Both Ways: The Quest for Dual Citizenship 9. Wanting In: Latin American Immigrant Women and the Turn to Electoral Politics V. Conclusion: The New Americans 10. Liminality and Democratic Citizenship Appendix: Methodology and Interview Sample References Index