 | White Nativism, Ethnic Identity and US Immigration Policy Reforms: American Citizenship and Children in Mixed Status, Hispanic Families Subjects: Health and Social Care; Politics & International Relations; Social Sciences; Social Work and Social Policy; U.S. Politics; Sociology & Social Policy; Ethnicity and Culture; Latino Politics; Race & Ethnic Studies; Analysing US immigration and deportation policy over the last twenty years, this book illustrates how US immigration reform can be conceived as a psychological, legal, policy-driven tool which is inexorably entwined with themes of American identity, national belonging and white nativism. Focusing on Hispanic immigration and American-born children of Mexican parentage, the author examines how engrained, historical, individual and collective social constructions and psychological processes, related to identity formation can play an instrumental role in influencing political and legal processes. It is argued that contemporary American immigration policy reforms need to be conceptualized as a complex, conscious and unconscious White Nativist psychological, legal, defence mechanism related to identity preservation and contestation. Whilst building on existing theoretical frameworks, the author offers new empirical evidence on immigration processes and policy within the United States as well as original research involving the acculturation and identity development of children of Mexican immigrant parentage. It brings together themes of race, ethnicity and American national identity under a new integrated sociopolitical and psychological framework examining macro and micro implications of recent US immigration policy reform. Subsequently this book will have broad appeal for academics, professionals and students who have an interest in political psychology, childhood studies, American immigration policy, constructions of national identity, critical race and ethnic studies, and the Mexican diaspora. Maria del Mar Farina is an Assistant Professor at Westfield State University, in Westfield, MA. She completed her doctoral degree at Smith College, School for Social Work, in Northampton, MA, where she went on to become an Adjunct Professor and Assistant Director of Field. She is also a graduate of the MBA program at Western New England College, in Springfield, MA. She maintains a clinical private practice in Holyoke, MA, working primarily with the Latino community. Her work has been presented in the United States and Europe, including in Turkey and Poland, at the International Society of Political Psychology (ISPP), and in Italy, at Processes Influencing Democratic Ownership and Participation (PIDOP), part of the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Programme. |
