Landscapes of the Ethnic Economy

Immigration has expanded dramatically in both traditional and emerging receiving nations. This worldwide boom has profoundly altered urban areas as new arrivals have transformed inner cities and suburbs alike into bastions of new ethnic economic activity. Examining the essential role of space in assisting and modifying ethnic business activity, this book considers how ethnic economies are reshaping the urban landscape in the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, Germany, and Italy. Each chapter explores the significance of urban space and local context in the development of an ethnic economy and how, in turn, ethnic economies have helped to recreate urban neighborhoods. With its international scope and rich case studies, this book will be invaluable for scholars and students alike in the fields of ethnic studies, urban studies, economic development, geography, and sociology.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Introduction: The Places of Ethnic Economies Part 2 How Geography Shapes the Ethnic Economy Chapter 3 Scaling Central Place of an Ethnic-Vietnamese Commercial Enclave in New Orleans, Louisiana. Chapter 4 Geographic Boundaries of the Cuban Enclave Economy in Miami Chapter 5 Residential Segregation and Ethnic Economies in a Multicultural City: The Little Portugal of Toronto Chapter 6 Race, Space, Crime and the African-American Entrepreneur: Business Owner Attitudes, Business Success, and the Neighborhood Context Chapter 7 Changing Geography of Toronto's Chinese Ethnic Economy Chapter 8 Gendered Landscapes of Ethnic Economies: Turkish Entrepreneurs in Berlin Part 9 How the Ethnic Economy Shapes the Urban Landscape Chapter 10 How Ethnobanks Matter: Banking and Community/Economic Development in Los Angeles Chapter 11 Ethnic Diversity and the Ethnic Economy in Cosmopolitan Sydney Chapter 12 Latino Business Landscapes and the Hispanic Ethnic Economy Chapter 13 The New Romans: Ethnic Economic Activities in Rome Chapter 14 Spatial and Identity Transformations of the Japanese American Ethnic Economy in Globalizing Los Angeles Chapter 15 The Evolution Of Manchester's Curry Mile: From Suburban Shopping Street To Ethnic Destination

About the Author :
David H. Kaplan is professor of geography at Kent State University. Wei Li is associate professor of Asian Pacific American studies and geography at Arizona State University.

Review :
This trenchant volume brings readers abreast of changing ethnic economies in Berlin, Manchester, Rome, Sydney, and Toronto as well as Cleveland, Miami, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Phoenix. Also focused thematically around the influence of space on ethnic economies, and the reciprocal impact of ethnic economies on urban landscapes, this book's original approach is a serious contribution to the burgeoning international literature on ethnic economies. Kaplan and Li have gathered an impressive international ensemble of geographers to explore an under-examined aspect of the well-studied topic of ethnic economies (ethnic businesses and enclaves) . . . .The case studies are fascinating and useful to anyone interested in ethnic and immigrant community-based businesses as modes of survival. . . . Highly recommended. This valuable contribution to the study of ethnic businesses puts the previously ignored issue of space on the research agenda through an encompassing discussion of commercial enclave economies, changing metropolitan landscapes, and place-making.