Immigration and the transformation of American society: politics, the economy, and popular culture

Studies of contemporary immigrants in the United States typically focus on how immigrants change as they adapt to and create new lives in their new home. We know far less about how immigrants and their descendants have been remaking American society and culture. The 87 million immigrants and their c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of ethnic and migration studies 2024-01, Vol.50 (1), p.114-131
Main Author: Foner, Nancy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
and cultural change
Arts
Change agents
Changes
Cultural change
Descendants
economic
Immigrants
Immigration
Innovations
Mixtures
Nationalist movements
political
Political parties
Popular culture
Sociocultural factors
Transformation
United States
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Summary:Studies of contemporary immigrants in the United States typically focus on how immigrants change as they adapt to and create new lives in their new home. We know far less about how immigrants and their descendants have been remaking American society and culture. The 87 million immigrants and their children have been a prominent source of profound and far-reaching changes that go to the heart of the country's institutions, altering the social, economic, cultural, and political landscape in many significant ways as they redefine modern America. This article zeroes in on three important, though quite different, domains: businesses and industries in the economy, national political party alignments, and popular culture and the arts. I bring in a comparative historical dimension, showing that despite similarities with the past, much is distinctive today. I also point out that immigration often operates as a force for change in combination with other factors, and indicate that innovations in the arts and popular culture, in particular, frequently entail mixtures that blend elements from home-country, immigrant, and established American cultures. The concluding comments offer some reflections on the future, considering further institutional and cultural changes that may lie ahead in the years to come.
ISSN:1369-183X
1469-9451
DOI:10.1080/1369183X.2023.2236906