Global Philadelphia, authored by 15 scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, is made up of 12 essays and organized into three parts: Community Formation and Intra- (and Inter-) Ethnic Relations; The Role of Institutions; and Identity Formation in a Transnational Context. The commonality amongst the essayists is their shared effort to understand better how Philadelphia affected immigrants’ lives, and how they, in turn, shaped Philadelphia. Their approach is historical and comparative.
The introductory essay, written by the book's editors, Ayumi Takenaka and Mary Johnson Osirim, not only provides a broad historical context for the essays that follow but also offers a detailed picture of Philadelphia today. Presenting Philadelphia as a great American city in decline, a position supported with abundant statistical evidence, Takenaka and Osirim posit that encouraging immigrants to come to Philadelphia may be the best way to revitalize the metropolis.
Global Philadelphia covers an impressive number of ethnic communities, giving it a breadth that often only compilation scholarship can offer. The first section includes separate essays on the Jewish, Italian, Puerto Rican and Chinese experiences, all of which address the process of community formation and/or evaluate relations within and between ethnic groups. Rakhmeil Peltz charts Jewish immigration to Philadelphia over the past century and a quarter and shows how different waves of Jewish immigration brought in-group diversity and expressly altered the Jewish community. Victor Vazquez-Hernandez skilfully shows the importance of organizations in transforming disparate Puerto Rican, Spanish, Cuban and Mexican enclaves into what he terms a ‘pan-Latino colonia’. Joan Saverino points to the differences and discord between northern and southern Italian immigrants while Lena Sze shows linguistic and socio-economic diversity among Chinese immigrant groups. Together, these essays highlight the complex and sometimes tense process of community building.
The second section focuses on the role of institutions in easing immigrants’ adaption to their new surroundings and in facilitating the formation of immigrant communities. Historian Birte Pfleger highlights the central role of the German Society of Pennsylvania, the ‘oldest German immigrant aid organization in the western hemisphere’, in not only creating a German-speaking community but also in influencing the public perception of German Americans, which took on increased significance during both world wars. Similarly, Noel J.J. Farley and Philip L. Kilbride exhibit the primacy of institutions in helping immigrants adapt to new conditions and establish and maintain an ethnic identity in America. Examining social clubs, the Catholic Church, and Catholic schools throughout Philadelphia, the authors are able to show how institutions not only aid in the preservation of an Irish culture, but provide health care, family support and educational and employment opportunities. Conversely, Jennifer Atlas’ ‘Healthcare access for Mexican immigrants in south Philadelphia’ exposes the difficulties a group can confront when basic services are insufficient.
The overarching topic of the third section is identity formation within a transnational context. This final group of essays is arguably the most valuable contribution to the field of immigration studies because there is still much to be understood about the impact of globalization on individual and group identity formation. Garvey F. Lundy traces Haitian immigration to Philadelphia from the late eighteenth century, though much of his essay is the product of recent interviews with Haitian immigrants. He reveals the challenges Haitian immigrants face in their effort to remain tied to Haiti and in establishing a unified Haitian community in Philadelphia.
Also relying heavily on interviews, Mary Johnson Osirim investigates how African immigrants are contributing to the revitalization of Philadelphia, particularly in West Philadelphia. Their businesses serve not only the African immigrant community but also those in the African American community, an important customer base making up nearly 45 per cent of the city's population. Rasika Chakravarthy and Ajay Nair evaluate female and male statuses within Philadelphia's Hindu community as women begin to make more money than their husbands, illustrating how globalization and transnationalism can impact traditional cultural norms. Ellen Skilton-Sylvester and Keo Chea-Young discuss the Cambodian experience in Philadelphia in relation to perception and in juxtaposition to other Asian groups.
This book convincingly exhibits the past and present contributions of various immigrant groups to Philadelphia and is replete with information and analysis that refutes the notion that immigration restriction is good policy today. Furthermore, Global Philadelphia subtly challenges the Ellis Island Model, quietly contributing to the new mainstream understanding that New York is overemphasized in the narrative of the immigrant experience in America. Also, the essayists not only show us that peoples from all over the world have been actively participating in the collective formation of Philadelphia specifically, but through extension remind us that immigration has played a central role in the development of the United States more generally. Finally, Global Philadelphia informs us that the formation of scholarly communities may be the best way to understand immigrant communities.
