Review by Choice Review
Johns (Laurentian Univ.-Barrie, Canada) deals with migration into and within the European Community and its economic and social consequences. After summarizing the phases of European integration, he discusses the challenges of immigration to European society. He distinguishes between indigenous and "new" minorities, and between "internal" and external immigrants, the former coming from member countries of the EU, and the latter from elsewhere. This mixture presents a challenge to "social cohesion," which is defined as an approach to bringing these communities together to face common problems. Much of the discussion is focused on the internal immigrants, who have benefited from the freedom of movement provided by the Schengen Agreement and from the fact that they possess rights as European citizens. These minorities include not only immigrants but indigenous ethnic communities, among them autonomist separatists, who are regarded as "new minorities." Much attention is devoted to Polish immigrants, including the proverbial "Polish plumbers," who compete for jobs with indigenous workers, and to the Roma, who are often subjected to mistreatment. The book discusses a number of issues associated with the presence of these minorities, such as discrimination, xenophobia, and the growth of anti-immigrant extreme-right movements. --William Safran, University of Colorado at Boulder
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
