The Immigrant Other

Absent from the debate over immigration policy is an unambiguous portrait of that policy's effect on human lives. Each chapter in this anthology pairs a description of specific state, national, and transnational laws and regulations with the testimony of individuals struggling to find legitimacy and sanctuary among them. The people profiled in this book shed light on a system designed to dehumanize and disenfranchise them, and they describe the difficulty of finding shelter in an increasingly globalized and unsympathetic world. They include Muslims facing discrimination from both the “War on Terror” and the “War on Immigration;” Latino day laborers; Filipino immigrants supporting themselves and their families back home; and Brazilian parents terrified of being separated from their naturalized children. Immigrants living in Spain, Australia, Greece, and Qatar are also represented, showcasing the similarities and differences in the treatment of immigrants worldwide. By prioritizing these accounts, this volume makes the day-to-day realities of current law clear to anyone who hopes to craft better immigration policy and social work practice with immigrants. It also restores the humanity of those who have become “other” simply by being born in an untenable place at a troubled time. Scholars in sociology, psychology, health, social work, and public policy can use these accounts to suggest better policy and practice, giving vulnerable immigrants a say in how they are governed.

About the Author :
Rich Furman is professor of social work at the University of Washington, Tacoma. His books include Sex Crimes: Transnational Problems and Global Perspectives; Transnational Social Work Practice; and Social Work Practice with Men at Risk. His most recent work, with Alissa R. Ackerman, is The Criminalization of Immigration: Contexts and Consequences. Greg Lamphear is a writer and editor based in Asia. He is the coauthor of Writing and Publishing in English: A Guide for Second Language and International Scholars. Douglas Epps, a former detention officer in the private immigration detention industry, received his MSW from the University of Washington, Tacoma. His research, publications, and activism centers on aspects of the criminalization of immigration in the United States and abroad.

Review :
Structural violence, write the editors of this volume, is endemic within various systems that interact with immigrants. This richly textured collection examines the policies and practices that effect and uphold that problematization and marginalization as a condition of being for the 'alien.' Compelling narratives situated at multiple points of contact across the globe give voice to the often unheard: those subjected to that violence and those who endeavor to challenge that violence as a given.--Yoosun Park, Smith College School for Social Work The Immigrant Other paints a moving picture of the lived experience of immigrants in the contemporary age. Through memorable narratives of individual struggle and collective resistance, the book provides valuable insight into the pain and struggles but also the heroism of immigrants in the face of nation states that criminalize their lives.--Robin Jacobson, author of The New Nativism: Proposition 187 and the Debate Over Immigration