By: J. Celeste Lay

Hardcover

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Drawn by low-skilled work and the safety and security of rural life, increasing numbers of families from Latin America and Southeast Asia have migrated to the American heartland. In the path-breaking book A Midwestern Mosaic, J. Celeste Lay examines the effects of political socialization on native white youth growing up in small towns. Lay studies five Iowa towns to investigate how the political attitudes and inclinations of native adolescents change as a result of rapid ethnic diversification. Using surveys and interviews, she discovers that native adolescents adapt very well to foreign-born citizens, and that over time, gaps diminish between diverse populations and youth in all-white/Anglo towns in regard to tolerance, political knowledge, efficacy, and school participation. A Midwestern Mosaic looks at the next generation to show how exposure to ethnic and cultural diversity during formative years can shape political behaviour and will influence politics in the future. J. Celeste Lay is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Tulane University in New Orleans.

"A Midwestern Mosaic makes important contributions to several literatures. To political scientists, the book offers insights about the roles of time and racial context in the political socialization of adolescents and the importance of systematically analyzing rural politics. Contributions to immigration research focusing on non-traditional destinations includes information about how quickly adolescents can adapt to demographic change, the emphasis on political socialization, and the formal comparison of immigrant-receiving communities that, on their face, might appear to be quite similar. [Lay's] qualitative data also yield important insights about what high schools and other institutions in rapidly changing communities can do to encourage positive relationships between long-time residents and newcomers. For all of these reasons, this book will be of great interest to scholars, community leaders, policymakers, and others."--International Migration Review, Spring 2013

A Midwestern Mosaic: Immigration and Political Socialization in Rural America; J. Celeste Lay; Table of Contents; Prologue and Acknowledgements; Introduction: Places and Political Learning; 1: Transformation of Small Town America; 2: A Natural Experiment in Iowa Towns; 3: Seeing Race: Attitudes toward Immigrants and Symbolic Racism; 4: No Retreat: Civic Withdrawal and Immigration; 5: Gradual Progress; 6: What Happened to My Town?; Conclusion: The Implications of a New Normal; Appendix A; Appendix B; Appendix C; Bibliography.

ISBN: 9781439907924
ISBN-10: 1439907927
Series: Social Logic of Politics
Audience: Tertiary; University or College
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 238
Published: 25th May 2012
Dimensions (cm): 22.9 x 15.2  x 2.0
Weight (kg): 0.454