The Other Immigrant Story
Rethinking Assimilation
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Pub Date Feb 9 2027 | Archive Date Jan 31 2027
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Description
A MacArthur “Genius” Fellow offers case study and analysis of the challenges of “assimilation” through four generations of her own Mexican American family.
Despite a family lineage of several generations in the United States, plus higher education and all the marks of class privilege, Mexican American historian Natalia Molina avoids wearing black and white to faculty events so as not to be confused for catering staff. She still finds herself viewed as “foreign,” while her husband’s family, with more recent roots in Europe, is considered fully assimilated.
Why? While all immigrants can face hardship, alienation, and a loss of cultural identity, only the European-born are offered full belonging as Americans. Immigrants do not just assimilate into America, Molina argues: They assimilate into a racial hierarchy. Drawing on over 150 years of immigration history, personal and family narratives, and more than two decades of research, Molina shows how legal structures and cultural narratives have racialized Latinos as perpetual outsiders. Through vivid storytelling and sharp analysis, The Other Immigrant Story interrogates the myths surrounding assimilation.
About the Author:
Natalia Molina is a professor at the University of Southern California, the author of three award-winning books, and a 2020 MacArthur Fellow based in Pasadena, California. She has written for the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post, among other outlets.
Advance Praise
"Groundbreaking. Natalia Molina’s abundant powers as a thinker and writer offer us a vision of who we are, and who we can become, in a country where so many different peoples and stories are braided into one." -Héctor Tobar, author of Our Migrant Souls
"A trenchant analysis of the racial landscape of the United States and the daunting task of assimilation faced by migrants over the last one hundred years. The Other Immigrant Story is deeply human and insightful." -Andres Reséndez, author of The Other Slavery
"In a concise, yet rich book, genius historian Natalia Molina provides an accessible and thought-provoking look at where anti-immigration ideas stem from. A critical must-read for anyone who believes that a more inclusive and just society is a noble and worthy goal." -Marcia Chatelain, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Franchise
"Natalia Molina is one of the nation’s most important historians of racialization and Latinx communities. Rigorous and tender, sparkling with stories of love and resilience, this is a must-read book about the many textures to the history of Latinx life in the United States." -Kelly Lytle Hernández, author of Bad Mexicans
"What does it mean to be an American? Is it synonymous with a race?being designated white? The Other Immigrant Story is a timely and moving exploration of the perils of assimilating into a society with a racial hierarchy that places whites at the top and non-whites below." -Annette Gordon-Reed, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hemingses of Monticello
"Channeling James Baldwin, Gloria Anzaldua, Jill Lepore, and the smarts and sass all great public historians need, Natalia Molina has delivered a must-read for anyone who wants to understand what this country has always been and will continue to be." -Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times columnist and author of Taco USA/em
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9780393881905 |
| PRICE | $24.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 176 |