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Immmigration And National Identity in an Age of Terror
Georgetown University Press
October 2005
273 pages ISBN: 1589010671 Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
The United States is the only nation in the world that
allows its citizens to hold one or more foreign
citizenships, vote in another nation's elections, run for
or be appointed to office in another country, and join the
armed forces even of a nation with interests hostile to
those of the U.S. while retaining their citizenship. These
policies reinforce the often already strong emotional,
political, and economic ties today's immigrants retain to
their home countries. Yet few studies have addressed what
dual citizenship means for the United States as a nation
and the integration of immigrants into the American
national community. Is it possible to reconcile two
different nationalities, cultures, and psychologies? How
can we honor immigrants' sense of identity without
threatening American national identity? What do Americans
have a right to expect of immigrants and what do they have
a right to expect of Americans? In The 50% American political psychologist Stanley Renshon
offers unique insight into the political and national
ramifications of personal loyalties. Arguing that the glue
that binds this country together is a psychological force—
patriotism— he explains why powerful emotional attachments
are critical to American civic process and how they make
possible united action in times of crisis. In an age of
terrorism, the idea that we are all Americans regardless of
our differences is more than a credo; it is essential to
our national security. Comprehensive in scope, this book
examines recent immigration trends, tracing the
assimilation process that immigrants to the United States
undergo and describing how federal, state, and local
governments have dealt with volatile issues such as
language requirements, voting rights, and schooling.
Renshon turns a critical eye to the challenges posed over
the past four decades by multiculturalism, cultural
conflict, and global citizenship and puts forth a
comprehensive proposal for reforming dual citizenship and
helping immigrants and citizens alike become more
integrated into the American national community
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