Elusive Citizenship

Immigration, Asian Americans, and the Paradox of Civil Rights

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Law, Civil Rights, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Emigration & Immigration
Cover of the book Elusive Citizenship by John S. W. Park, NYU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John S. W. Park ISBN: 9780814768105
Publisher: NYU Press Publication: June 1, 2004
Imprint: NYU Press Language: English
Author: John S. W. Park
ISBN: 9780814768105
Publisher: NYU Press
Publication: June 1, 2004
Imprint: NYU Press
Language: English

Since the late nineteenth century, federal and state rules governing immigration and naturalization have placed persons of Asian ancestry outside the boundaries of formal membership. A review of leading cases in American constitutional law regarding Asians would suggest that initially, Asian immigrants tended to evade exclusionary laws through deliberate misrepresentations of their identities or through extralegal means. Eventually, many of these immigrants and their descendants came to accept prevailing legal norms governing their citizenship in the United States. In many cases, this involved embracing notions of white supremacy.
John S. W. Park argues that American rules governing citizenship and belonging remain fundamentally unjust, even though they suggest the triumph of a "civil rights" vision, where all citizens share the same basic rights. By continuing to privilege members over non-members in ways that are politically popular, these rules mask injustices that violate principles of fairness. Importantly, Elusive Citizenship also suggests that politically and socially, full membership in American society remains closely linked with participation in exclusionary practices that isolate racial minorities in America.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Since the late nineteenth century, federal and state rules governing immigration and naturalization have placed persons of Asian ancestry outside the boundaries of formal membership. A review of leading cases in American constitutional law regarding Asians would suggest that initially, Asian immigrants tended to evade exclusionary laws through deliberate misrepresentations of their identities or through extralegal means. Eventually, many of these immigrants and their descendants came to accept prevailing legal norms governing their citizenship in the United States. In many cases, this involved embracing notions of white supremacy.
John S. W. Park argues that American rules governing citizenship and belonging remain fundamentally unjust, even though they suggest the triumph of a "civil rights" vision, where all citizens share the same basic rights. By continuing to privilege members over non-members in ways that are politically popular, these rules mask injustices that violate principles of fairness. Importantly, Elusive Citizenship also suggests that politically and socially, full membership in American society remains closely linked with participation in exclusionary practices that isolate racial minorities in America.

More books from NYU Press

Cover of the book Is Academic Feminism Dead? by John S. W. Park
Cover of the book Cosmopolitanisms by John S. W. Park
Cover of the book Why Lawsuits are Good for America by John S. W. Park
Cover of the book Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood by John S. W. Park
Cover of the book The Impact of the Holocaust on Jewish Theology by John S. W. Park
Cover of the book Dear Dr. Spock by John S. W. Park
Cover of the book American Women and the Repeal of Prohibition by John S. W. Park
Cover of the book The Bobbed Haired Bandit by John S. W. Park
Cover of the book The Anthropology of Global Pentecostalism and Evangelicalism by John S. W. Park
Cover of the book America Goes to War by John S. W. Park
Cover of the book Deafening Modernism by John S. W. Park
Cover of the book Hooded Knights on the Niagara by John S. W. Park
Cover of the book God Mocks by John S. W. Park
Cover of the book Not by Faith Alone by John S. W. Park
Cover of the book Money Talks by John S. W. Park
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy