Immigrant Communities

The policies, practices, performances, possibilities, and prejudices related to U.S. immigration have been and continue to be some of the most hotly contested issues within the public sphere. Indeed, the implications of immigration for community life in the United States have been discussed and debated since the beginning of this democracy. Leaders such as Benjamin Franklin considered the costs and benefits of immigration for colonial communities, noting a particular concern about the ability of immigrants to assimilate into public life. To this day, the influx of immigrants into the United States continues to challenge and enrich traditional notions of the U.S. society as a “melting pot” of many ethnic subcommunities. Consequently, many have questioned the figurative fit of this metaphor, preferring instead to imagine the movements of immigrant communities in terms of tributaries that eventually meet to form a single larger body or a tapestry in which the single threads that represent individual communities remain distinct as they combine to create the larger fabric of society.

Many scholars have argued that the late 20th century is a moment of great historical significance for immigration to the United States. During the last 35 years, the number of immigrants to this country has more than tripled. More important, contemporary immigration largely originates from developing countries. These new immigrants bring with them a host of cultural and social practices largely unfamiliar to people in mainstream Western culture. Modern immigrants often work hard to maintain connections, both literal and symbolic, to their countries of origin, modifying traditional notions of assimilation and encultur-ation. In short, this recent wave of immigration is changing the composition of U.S. communities and raising new issues related to social and racial intolerance, patterns of community integration, and civic participation. This entry begins by considering the current nature of U.S. immigration and the fundamental nature of community. Issues specifically related to immigrant communities are discussed, including (a) their indicators and composition; (b) their roles, responsibilities, and functions; (c) reasons why some fear strong immigrant communities; and (d) the impact of declining or resilient communities.