Asian and Latino Immigrants in a Restructuring Economy

Marta López-Garza is Assistant Professor of Women's Studies and Chicano Studies, and David R. Diaz is Assistant Professor of Urban Studies and Chicano Studies at California State University, Northridge.

"This volume is of central importance to the new literature on cities because of its unique coverage. It not only supplies stimulating material on topics neglected by other studies, but also treats the material in an original manner that supplies new insights."—Mark Gottdiener, State University of New York, Buffalo "This important and timely book is exciting because I know of no other comparative work within the context of the new global economy that focuses on changes in one metropolitan area. The idea of comparing Asian and Latino immigrant experiences is an inspired one, and the book is a model of scholarship and comparative studies."—Evelyn Hu-DeHart, University of Colorado at Boulder "A nuanced, detailed and politically informed volume whose strength lies in analysis embedded in a context. . . . This volume explores one niche, using original studies, and is thus able to build up a picture of jostling settlements and their interrelationship with earlier settlements (locals). More than that, it also creates an approach from which other researchers could benefit by following up the various sociological themes of the niche."—Canadian Journal of Sociology Online "This book is not just timely, but necessary for everyone trying to come to grips with a California that is changing every minute. It is a valuable resource for various fields across academia and for policymakers across the country."—Contemporary Sociology "Through comprehensive research on the global city of Los Angeles, the authors in this volume challenge established immigration and assimilation theories that permeate the popular imagination and our public policy , , , ,As a whole [Asian and Latino Immigrants in a Restructuring Economy] presents an excellent 'snaphot' of current issues in immigration policy and studies and provides ample guidelines for the directions that future research and policy should take . . . .The book will be particularly useful for undergraduate courses on immigration, ethnic history, and public policy."—Economic Geography "This book succeeds in its objective of demonstrating the complexity of southern California's changing socio-economic landscape. The integration of broader political and economic processes with rich empirical analysis is a welcome addition to our understanding of the region . . . .The comparisons of Asian and Latino immigrant groups usefully highlight the differences and—more surprisingly, to some—the similarities between them."—Annals of the Association of American Geographers

• List of illustrations List of tables Acknowledgments 1. Introduction Marta Lopez-Garza and David R. Diaz Part I. Women in the Global Economy 2. Exploitation and abuse in the garment industry: the case of the Thai slave-labor compound in El Monte Julie A. Su and Chanchanit Martorell 3. Through economic restructuring, recession, and rebound: the continuing importance of Latina immigrant labor in the Los Angeles economy Kristine M. Zentgraf Part II. Macroeconomics: 4. the promises and dilemmas of immigrant ethnic economies Tarry Hum 5. Economics and ethnicity: poverty, race, and immigration in Los Angeles county Manuel Pastor, Jr Part III. The Informal Economy in Southern California: 6. A study of the informal economy and Latina/o immigrants in Greater Los Angeles Marta Lopez-Garza 7. Labor behind the front door: domestic workers in urban and suburban households Grace A. Rosales 8. Doing business: Central American enterprises in Los Angeles Norma Stoltz Chinchilla and Nora Hamilton Part IV. Changing Political and Social Terrain: 9. Latino Street vendors in Los Angeles: heterogeneous alliances, community-based activism, and the state Clair M. Weber 10. The politics of social services for a 'model minority': the union of Pan Asian communities Linda Trinh Vo 11. Community divided: Korean American politics in post-civil unrest Los Angeles Edward J. W. Park 12. Constructing 'Indianness' in Southern California: the role of Hindu and Muslim Indian immigrants Prema Kurien 13. A new and dynamic community: the case of Monterey Park, California Timothy P. Fong 14. The politics of adaptation and the 'good immigrant': Japanese Americans and the new Chinese immigrants Leland T. Saito Part V. Ethnicity, Race, and Racism: 15. Variation in attitudes toward immigrants measured among Latino, African American, Asian, and Euro-American students Grace A. Rosales, Mona Devich Navarro and Desdemona Cardosa 16. Racialized metropolis: theorizing Asian American and Latino identities and ethnicities in Southern California ChorSwang Ngin and Rodolfo D. Torres Part VI. Social Policy: 17. Salvadoran immigrants and refugees: demographic and socioeconomic profiles Claudia Dorrington 18. Environmental logic and minority communities David R. Diaz Appendix Index.