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Introduction Migration and Citizenship in a Globalizing World
- Ohio University Press
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introduction l l l migration and citizenship in a Globalizing World experts have labeled the last few decades the “age of migration.”1 Indeed, according to the United nations, the total number of international migrants, defined as those living in a country different from the one in which they were born, more than doubled between 1970 and 2009 and stands at 200 million persons.2 In europe and north america, the arrival of large numbers of immigrants since the 1960s has generated significant controversy. In the twenty-first century, the twin issues of migration and integration present governments and societies on both sides of the atlantic with pressing political, social, and security challenges. Fundamental questions are being asked regarding the value of immigration and the desirability of integrating newcomers into the national community. do immigrants contribute to the common good or, given their “foreign ways,” undermine national cultures and drain the public purse? In what ways does state policy promote or hinder integration? how can immigrants empower themselves in a culturally foreign environment? Why do certain immigrant groups appear to be permanently locked into a “ghettoized” underclass status while others, at least outwardly, provide a “model” of seamless adaptation into Western society? Finding answers to such questions is difficult. however, there are important antecedents in the history of both europe and the United states that can aid in illuminating contemporary debates. during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, industrialization and the consolidation of the modern nation-state launched a first global “age of migration” that lasted into the early 1920s. By the beginning of the twentieth century, immigration in the United states reached levels that have been surpassed only 2 l Introduction in the last few years.3 meanwhile, during the same period, many countries of Western europe were also affected by large inflows of “foreign” populations , a development that foreshadowed the movements of later generations of postwar immigrants. The arrival and settlement of large numbers of migrants during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries produced significant social tensions whose historical legacy continues to inform present social attitudes and government policies toward immigration.4 my study seeks to better understand this earlier wave of migration and its long-term effects on european and american societies by examining migrant Polish integration patterns in the ruhr valley of Germany and northeastern Pennsylvania. approximately 300,000 Poles migrated to the ruhr and 160,000 settled in northeastern Pennsylvania between 1870 and 1914. The origins, outlooks, occupational employment, and community organization patterns of Poles in both regions were in many ways similar. Poles arriving in each region were largely unskilled and hailed from predominately agricultural backgrounds. They entered two major industrial environments where Polish men worked overwhelmingly in the coal-mining industry. On settlement, Poles relied on the catholic church and numerous associations to help bind the ethnic community together. most also remained in frequent contact with the homeland. nevertheless, the development of these two Polish communities did diverge in reaction to experiences within the political, economic, and cultural environment of their host societies. after World War I, this divergence was reflected by dramatically different integration trajectories. The vast majority of Poles in northeastern Pennsylvania opted by the mid-1920s to accommodate themselves to american society, although full integration would remain another generation away. By contrast, two-thirds of the Polish community in the ruhr immigrated to France or returned to Poland. The third of the community that remained subsequently integrated comparatively quickly into German society during the interwar period. By exploring why these differing adaptation patterns emerged, I seek to broaden our understanding of the role of government, the marketplace, and civil society in defining identities of citizenship and belonging within democratic states as well as the efforts of excluded actors to redefine the parameters of inclusion, or what I term “the borders of integration ,” over time. examining the historical Polish migrant experience is particularly useful for illuminating debates regarding issues of globalization and mass migration . historically, Poles were one of the first ethnic groups whose migration [54.227.136.157] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 02:44 GMT) Migration and Citizenship in a Globalizing World l 3 occurred within the context of a rising global economy, the solidification of the democratic nation-state, and the emergence of modern mass cultures. In Germany, Poles constituted the largest ethnic minority during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, while in the United states they constituted one of the largest groups of “new...