The Civic Discourse Project: ‘Immigration and Civic Integration’
Sept. 29, 2020
Immigration has played an important role in almost every era in U.S. history, but it is often at the center of contentious political and economic debate. What does it mean to “become an American?” What responsibilities do new immigrants have to their newly adopted country? Reihan Salam, president of the Manhattan Institute, and Tomás Jiménez of Stanford University discuss the importance of civic integration for new immigrants to the United States and why it is necessary for both the new American and his or her new country. Paul Carrese, director of the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, moderates.
Rihan Salam is the Manhattan Institute’s fifth president. Previously, Salam served as the executive editor of National Review and a National Review Institute Policy Fellow; in 2017, he was named a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. Salam is a contributing editor at The Atlantic, National Affairs and National Review. Salam is the author of “Melting Pot or Civil War?” (Sentinel, 2018) and the co-author, with Ross Douthat, of “Grand New Party” (Doubleday, 2008).
Tomás Jiménez is the associate professor of sociology and comparative studies in race and ethnicity. His research and writing focus on immigration, assimilation, social mobility and ethnic and racial identity. His latest book, “The Other Side of Assimilation: How Immigrants are Changing American Life” (University of California Press, 2017), uses interviews from a race and class spectrum of Silicon Valley residents to show how a relational form of assimilation changes both newcomers (immigrants and their children) and established individuals (people born in the U.S. to U.S.-born parents).
The School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership’s discussions provides an indispensable forum for the school to include historical and contemporary conversations about immigration in American society within the framework of civic discourse that inspires all of our public programs.
MORE: Read about the latest season of The Civic Discourse Project or see all this season’s episodes.