Commissioned Book Review: Madeline Y. Hsu, The Good Immigrants: How the Yellow Peril Became the Model Minority
| Published date | 01 May 2020 |
| Date | 01 May 2020 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1478929919864776 |
| Author | Ezgi Irgil |
| Subject Matter | Commissioned Book Reviews |
book-review2019
Commissioned Book Review
Political Studies Review
2020, Vol. 18(2) NP9 –NP10
Commissioned Book Review
journals.sagepub.com/home/psrev
The Good Immigrants: How the Yellow Peril
developments as the US Government intro-
Became the Model Minority by Madeline Y.
duced refugee relief programs with symbolic
Hsu. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press,
value in their fight against Communism due to
2017. 352 pp., $29.95/£21.00, ISBN 9780691176215.
the presence of Chinese intellectuals, also aid-
ing the Chinese already in the United States on
This award-winning book analyses how the
their path to citizenship. These changes
relationship between immigration controls,
resulted in a shift from racial and cultural inter-
foreign policy, and international agendas of the
est to political and economic interest in the
government of the United States resulted in
immigration laws that supported domestic
Chinese migrants becoming the model minor-
motives, which becomes the underlying theme
ity. With a particular focus on Chinese elites,
that links all chapters.
the book argues that because of the selective
The book makes a thorough analysis of
immigration policies of the United States
the influence of the international political
derived from the changes in foreign politics to
agenda on immigration laws. However, it
further the political agenda, the Chinese have
falls short on addressing how the class differ-
become the model minority in the United
ences play out between Chinese Americans
States. This systematic privilege of educated
that are already living and working in the
migrants resulted in assisting particular United States and newly arrived Chinese
migrants while penalizing others.
elites. While focusing on the economic abil-
By providing a balanced analysis supported
ity of Chinese elites, the book only addresses
with a detailed...
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