IMMIGRANT NEW YORK

For centuries, New York City has served as a primary gateway city for immigrants to the United States.  In the early twentieth century, according to the 1910 Census, New York City’s population was roughly 40% foreign-born.  The problems these immigrants presented to government officials, doctors, religious leaders, industrialists, the police, and educators in New York City transformed not only the local debate on immigration but the national discussion of “Americanization” as well.  According to the most recent census, approximately 40% of the city's population is foreign-born.  Like their predecessors at the turn of the twentieth century, contemporary immigrants, arriving from the Caribbean, Africa, Central America, Asia, and Europe, have posed serious challenges to the civic, educational, and political institutions of New York City.  How are these foreign-born residents reshaping the city today?  This seminar explores the intersection of immigration, race, culture, and politics in New York City, both from the perspective of history and in relation to contemporary realities as it explores the forces shaping the century-old encounter between immigrants and New York City.