The Political Incorporation of Immigrants: Citizenship and Participation in the United States and Canada

Harvard University, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract SES 0000310 PI: Theda Skocpol, Irene Bloemraad This project studies political incorporation-immigrants' participation in the politics of their new countries and their rates of seeking citizenship. Two groups are studied: Vietnamese and Portuguese, in two U.S. and Canadian cities, for two time periods 1900-1920 and 1970-1991. The primary focus of study is how policies and practices instituted by the two countries' governments-such as Canada's official policy of promoting multiculturalism-have or have not affected assimilation rates. This project uses historical data (for the earlier time period), and government statistics, and interviews for the contemporary period. Results will display effects of macro-level structures upon assimilation as well as increasing understanding of general processes of immigrant incorporation.