Review by Choice Review
"Transnationalism" is in fashion among social scientists today. Both the greater ease of travel, whether in body or Skype, and contemporary postmodern theory, which loves the fluid and hates the static, make studies of those who go between countries and cultures a hot topic. Green (School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, France), however, wants to point out that the states, both those the travelers leave and those they go to, still matter. She does so through anecdotal historical accounts about 19th- and early 20th-century Americans in France whose problems (accusations of wine-doctoring, property settlements in divorces) caused them to need the help of either or both nations' governments. She also sketches out a history of American and European attitudes to emigration and expatriation. On the whole, these have become more benign over time. This is a book for specialists who concern themselves with current academic fashions. To others, it may seem something like a dispute about whether the current or the land on the banks is more important in defining the river. Green does a salutary job of arguing the case for the significance of the land. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students through faculty. --Fred E. Baumann, Kenyon College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
