In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS So many people have touched my life and work over the years that this book is profoundly the result of a collective effort. First and foremost I owe immeasurable thanks to all the teens and staff at Asian Youth Advocates, the Laotian Organizing Project, and the Asian Pacific Environmental Network. In addition to being open and honest, they were extremely generous throughout the research phase and years later, providing me with information and resources and welcoming me into the “APEN family.” They were extraordinarily willing to tolerate my scrutiny and questions even when they sometimes felt unsure about my motives. I hope that they find something of value in my portrayal of them. The research for this project was funded by a University of California–Davis Graduate Fellowship, a University of California–Davis Humanities Graduate Research Award, and a research award from the Consortium for Women and Research at the University of California–Davis. Participation in a dissertation workshop organized by the University of California–Davis Center for History, Society, and Culture and a workshop on youth and immigration organized by the University of California’s Humanities Institute helped shape some of my early writing on the project. Generous financial support from the Economic and Social Research Council, U.K., gave me valuable time for the writing of this book. At the University of California–Davis I benefited from the inspiration, support , and encouragement of various educators, colleagues, and mentors. I am especially grateful to Diane Wolf, Ming-cheng Lo, and Yen Le Espiritu, who saw an earlier version of this project. Without their comments, critical insights, and constant urgings to be aware of contexts and nuances, that version would have not achieved the clarity it had. Diane Wolf is a valuable friend and mentor. And Fred Block, Ruth Frankenberg, Suad Joseph, Lata Mani, Judith Stacey, and John Walton were all instrumental in developing my skills for critical inquiry. I was fortunate to participate in a graduate reading group, and I thank Estee Neuwirth, Eileen Otis, Preston Rudy, and Eva Skuratowicz for their camaraderie and emotional support, and for taking time to read earlier versions of this project. Many thanks go to colleagues in the United Kingdom who provided intellectual enrichment and encouragement or shared their comments on previous versions of this project: Avtar Brah, Claire Dwyer, Umut Erel, Tariq Modood, John Salt, and Miri Song. At Roehampton University, where I was an Economic and Social Research Council Research Fellow, I greatly benefited from support and intellectual exchanges with Floya Anthias, John Eade, Aisha Gill, and Pathik Pathak. I wish to thank my editor at Temple University Press, Janet Francendese, who supported this project through all its stages. I especially appreciate series editor Linda Võ’s unwavering belief in this book. Linda Võ and the two anonymous reviewers at the Press devoted a great deal of time and effort to reading and commenting on the manuscript. There is no question that this is a vastly improved book because of their critical insights. My thanks to Charles H. E. Ault and Amanda Steele at Temple University Press, as well as Kimberley Vivier and Lynne Frost, who moved production along smoothly. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to my parents, Pramila and Velji Shah. Their early support for my education and their encouragement to follow my heart and interests gave me the confidence and desire to embark on an academic career in sociology. While I was conducting the research for this book and writing the earlier versions, they traveled from the United Kingdom to California several times to help care for my children and feed us all. My siblings, Urmi and Ameet, and my brother-in-law, Mukie, have provided much love and support. I am also indebted to Farm Saephan and Patricia Robles. My children thrived under their warm and loving care during the early phases of this project. And simple words of thanks cannot express my deep appreciation for Rajen Shah, my partner in life, my companion, and my emotional mainstay. Without the countless meals, relief from my share of household chores and care for our children, and his willingness to listen to my frustrations and milestones, without his constant love and support, I could not have completed all the phases of this book. Our two children, Anirudh and Apurva, bring tremendous joy and laughter. They help me keep balance and purpose in my life. Sections of some chapters have been published previously. I thank the publishers for...

Share