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Podcast: New Books in Latino Studies
Episode: Natalia Molina, âHow Race is Made in America: Immigration, Citizenship, and the Historical Power of Racial Scriptsâ (University of California Press, 2014)
Description: âAmerica is a nation of immigrants.â Either this common refrain, or its cousin the âmelting potâ metaphor is repeated daily in conversations at various levels of U.S. society. Be it in the private or public realm, these notions promote a compelling image of national inclusivity that appears not to be limited to particular notions of race, religious affiliation, gender, or national origin. Indeed, generations of American writersâlike J. Hector St. John Crevecoeur, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Israel Zangwill, Emma Lazarus, and Oscar Handlinâhave embedded Americaâs immigrant past into the collective psyche of its people and the epic telling o...