Shifting Boundaries: Immigrant Youth Negotiating National, State, and Small-Town Politics

201 Pages·2018·1.9 MB·English

by  Alexis M. Silver

Shifting Boundaries
This page intentionally left blank
Shifting Boundaries
Immigrant Youth Negotiating National,
State, and Small-T own Politics
Alexis M. Silver
Stanford University Press
Stanford, California
Stanford University Press
Stanford, California
© 2018 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system without the prior written permission of Stanford University Press.
Printed in the United States of America on acid- free, archival- quality paper
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Silver, Alexis M., author.
Title: Shifting boundaries : immigrant youth negotiating national, state, and small town politics /
Alexis M. Silver.
Description: Stanford, California : Stanford University Press, 2018. | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017043707 (print) | LCCN 2017046089 (ebook) | ISBN 9781503605756 | ISBN
9781503604988 (cloth : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781503605749 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Immigrant youth—North Carolina. | Illegal aliens—North Carolina. | Children
of immigrants—North Carolina. | Latin Americans—North Carolina. | Hispanic American
youth—North Carolina. | North Carolina—Emigration and immigration—Government
policy. | United States—Emigration and immigration—Government policy.
Classification: LCC JV7053 (ebook) | LCC JV7053 .S55 2018 (print) | DDC 323.3/508691209776—
dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017043707
To all of the youth who shared their
stories, and to all of the teachers and
mentors who helped them fight for a
brighter future
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: Navigating Exclusion 1
1. Shifting Contexts of Reception 21
2. Local Policies and Small- Town Politics 40
3. Pathways to Membership 57
4. Graduation, Isolation, and Backlash after DACA 83
5. Toward Upward Mobility and Incorporation 105
6. Inclusion through Activism 125
Conclusion 141
Notes 159
References 163
Index 181
This page intentionally left blank
Acknowledgments
This book would not have been possible without the extensive support of many
people. I express my deepest gratitude to all of the young adults, teachers, par-
ents, and mentors who shared their time, experiences, reflections, frustrations,
and hopes. It has been an amazing experience to watch the youth I interviewed
for this book grow up into productive and self-a ssured adults and, in some
cases, become parents. I thank them for their honesty and friendship, and I feel
incredibly privileged that they trusted me with their stories.
I began research on this book over a decade ago and learned so much
about fieldwork, writing, and analysis in the process. I am indebted to Jacque-
line Hagan and Ted Mouw for guiding me along the way. Their extensive and
thoughtful critiques in earlier stages of this project strengthened my research
and writing considerably, and I will never be able to repay them for their intel-
lectual and emotional support. Jackie opened up her heart and her home to me.
She helped me build professional connections and offered invaluable feedback
on my research and analysis— all while making me laugh. I continue to rely on
her support and friendship, and I am so grateful to have her in my corner. Ted
ignited my love for immigration research and social demography, deepened my
intellectual curiosity by challenging me to think about my research from new
angles, and was often the only person who could calm me down when stress
got the better of me. Their guidance nurtured my professional and intellectual
development, and I cannot thank them enough.
I also thank and acknowledge Paul Cuadros, who has been an amazing
example of an engaged professor. I continue to be inspired by him and have