Immigrant New York: The Changing American City

Session Submission Type: Invited Session (90 minute)

Description

Over the last decade, immigration has continued to reshape New York City, reinforcing its status as the quintessential immigrant city and one of the most diverse urban centers in the world. This panel examines how recent demographic shifts, new migration patterns, and evolving federal, state, and local policies have impacted the city’s economy, cultural identity, civic life, neighborhoods, and schools. Panelists will examine the growing presence of immigrants from Asia, Latin America, West Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean, and how these newcomers are integrating into and transforming New York City. Attention will be given to the role of immigrants in revitalizing local economies and neighborhoods, sustaining essential sectors such as health care and food service, and contributing to New York’s civic and cultural dynamism. The presentations will also address the challenges of housing, labor precarity, and access to social services faced by immigrant New Yorkers, as well as the city’s evolving policy responses, including sanctuary protections and the recent influx of asylum seekers. By bringing together scholars of migration and urban studies, the panel highlights the opportunities and tensions that immigration generates, offering a nuanced understanding of how newcomers are reshaping this city of “eight million stories” in the 21st century.

Sub Unit

• Regional Spotlight Session

Presider

• Van C. Tran, CUNY-Graduate Center

Individual Presentations

• Immigrant City: How the Newest Immigrants Have Transformed New York - Nancy Foner

• Latino New Yorkers Maintaining the City - Ernesto Castañeda, American University

• Asian Americans and the Making of a Modern New York City - Margaret May Chin, CUNY-Hunter College

• Biting into the Big Apple: The Impact of African Immigrant Communities on New York City” - Dialika Sall, CUNY-Lehman College

• Putting Palestinians on the New York Map: The Politics of Cuisine and Protest - Randa B Serhan, Barnard College

Session Organizer

• Van C. Tran, CUNY-Graduate Center