The Diversity Paradox: Immigration and the Color Line in Twenty-First Century America

249 Pages·2012·2.11 MB·English

by  Jennifer Lee

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The Diversity Paradox
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The Diversity Paradox
Immigration and the Color Line
in Twenty-First Century America
Jennifer Lee and Frank D. Bean
Russell Sage Foundation
New York
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The Russell Sage Foundation
The Russell Sage Foundation, one of the oldest of America’s general purpose foundations, was
established in 1907 by Mrs. Margaret Olivia Sage for “the improvement of social and living
conditions in the United States.” The Foundation seeks to fulfill this mandate by fostering the
development and dissemination of knowledge about the country’s political, social, and eco-
nomic problems. While the Foundation endeavors to assure the accuracy and objectivity of each
book it publishes, the conclusions and interpretations in Russell Sage Foundation publications
are those of the authors and not of the Foundation, its Trustees, or its staff. Publication by
Russell Sage, therefore, does not imply Foundation endorsement.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Mary C. Waters, Chair
Kenneth D. Brody Kathleen Hall Jamieson Shelley E. Taylor
W. Bowman Cutter, III Lawrence F. Katz Richard H. Thaler
Robert E. Denham, Esq. Melvin J. Konner Eric Wanner
John A. Ferejohn Sara S. McLanahan
Larry V. Hedges Nancy Rosenblum
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lee, Jennifer, 1968-
The diversity paradox : immigration and the color line in 21st century America /
Jennifer Lee and Frank D. Bean.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-87154-041-6 (alk. paper)
1. United States—Emigration and immigration—Social aspects. 2. Immigrants—
United States—History. 3. United States—Race relations. I. Bean, Frank D. II. Title.
JV6475.L38 2010
304.8'730089—dc22
2010003237
Copyright © 2010 by American Sociological Association. All rights reserved. Printed in the
United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Reproduction by the United States Government in whole or in part is permitted for any
purpose.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National
Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials.
ANSI Z39.48-1992.
Text design by Genna Patacsil.
RUSSELL SAGE FOUNDATION
112 East 64th Street, New York, New York 10065
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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To Our Families—
Sangrin, Wonja, and Jeena Stephanie Lee
and
Frank D. Bean Sr., Alta Scott Bean, Carolyn P. Boyd, and
Alan, Deborah, Peter, and Michael Bean
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~ Contents ~
About the Authors ix
Acknowledgments xi
Part I Historical Background, Theoretical Framework, 1
and Sociodemographic Context
Chapter 1 Introduction: Immigration and the Color Line 3
in America
Chapter 2 Theoretical Perspectives on Color Lines 23
in the United States
Chapter 3 What Is This Person’s Race? The Census and 35
the Construction of Racial Categories
Chapter 4 Immigration and the Geography of 55
the New Ethnoracial Diversity
with James D. Bachmeier and Zoya Gubernskaya
Part II Individual Experiences of Diversity: 81
From Multiraciality to Multiracial Identification
Chapter 5 The Cultural Boundaries of Ethnoracial Status 83
and Intermarriage
Chapter 6 What About the Children? Interracial Families 101
and Ethnoracial Identification
Chapter 7 Who Is Multiracial? The Cultural Reproduction 121
of the One-Drop Rule
Chapter 8 From Racial to Ethnic Status: Claiming Ethnicity 137
Through Culture
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viii Contents
Part III The Empirical and Policy Significance of Diversity: 155
Generalization and Paradox
Chapter 9 Ethnoracial Diversity, Minority-Group Threat, 157
and Boundary Dissolution: Clarifying
the Diversity Paradox
with James D. Bachmeier
Chapter 10 Conclusion: The Diversity Paradox and Beyond 181
(Plus Ça Change, Plus C’est la Même Chose)
Appendix: Methodological Approach 195
Notes 205
References 207
Index 225
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~ About the Authors ~
JENNIFERLEEis associate professor of sociology at the University of California,
Irvine.
FRANK D. BEANis Chancellor’s Professor of Sociology and Economics and
director of the Center for Research on Immigration, Population, and Public
Policy at the University of California, Irvine.
JAMES D. BACHMEIER is post-doctoral research associate in the Center for
Research on Immigration, Population, and Public Policy at the University
of California, Irvine.
ZOYA GUBERNSKAYA is Ph.D. candidate in the department of sociology at
the University of California, Irvine.