Immigration and Identities: Race and Changing Ethnicity in the U.S.

In 2014, first-generation immigrants with their U.S.-born children made up nearly 25 percent of the population. Growth in immigration over the past 50 years, mainly from Latin America, Asia, and the Caribbean, has altered the racial and ethnic composition of the nation. Another notable change is the geographic spread of immigrants away from traditional receiving states to new gateways, especially in the southern and mid-western regions. The result has been greater racial and ethnic diversity in many urban and rural neighborhoods across the country.

Psychologist Kay Deaux and sociologists Katharine Donato and Nancy Foner will organize a symposium and co-edit an upcoming issue of the RSF Journal titled “Immigration and Identities: Race and Changing Ethnicity in the U.S.” The issue will feature ten articles that examine the shifts in ethnic, racial and national identities, including the nature of these shifts and their implications. Articles will explore (1) how those of immigrant origin as well as long-established natives have come to identify themselves in terms of race, ethnicity, and nationality; (2) how members of each group are viewed and categorized by others in terms of ethnicity and race; and (3) the impact of these identity processes on interactions among members of different ethno-racial groups.