The Sanctuary City: Immigrant, Refugee, and Receiving Communities in Postindustrial Philadelphia

Domenic Vitiello

Open Access Published by Cornell University Press 2022

The Sanctuary City

Immigrant, Refugee, and Receiving Communities in Postindustrial Philadelphia

Domenic Vitiello
Funded by: multiple sources

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501764707

Overview
Contents

About this book

In The Sanctuary City, Domenic Vitiello argues that sanctuary means much more than the limited protections offered by city governments or churches sheltering immigrants from deportation. It is a wider set of protections and humanitarian support for vulnerable newcomers. Sanctuary cities are the places where immigrants and their allies create safe spaces to rebuild lives and communities, often through the work of social movements and community organizations or civil society.

Philadelphia has been an important center of sanctuary and reflects the growing diversity of American cities in recent decades. One result of this diversity is that sanctuary means different things for different immigrant, refugee, and receiving communities. Vitiello explores the migration, settlement, and local and transnational civil society of Central Americans, Southeast Asians, Liberians, Arabs, Mexicans, and their allies in the region across the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Together, their experiences illuminate the diversity of immigrants and refugees in the United States and what is at stake for different people, and for all of us, in our immigration debates.

Author / Editor information

Domenic Vitiello is Associate Professor of City Planning and Urban Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Engineering Philadelphia and co editor of Immigration and Metropolitan Revitalization in the United States.

Reviews

Helen Gym, Philadelphia City Councilmember:

Domenic Vitiello captures the grit, heart, and humanity behind every movement for immigrant justice. This book is a powerful reminder of what it takes to build a more just society and a testament to the tireless work necessary to transform that vision into reality.

Maria Cristina Garcia, Cornell University, author of The Refugee Challenge in Post-Cold War America:

In The Sanctuary City, Domenic Vitiello provocatively expands what we understand by 'sanctuary' in urban spaces in the United States. A compelling read.

A. K. Sandoval-Strausz, Penn State University, author of Barrio America:

A fascinating look at how refugees and immigrants from across the globe found their way to and made their way in Philadelphia. Domenic Vitiello's analysis of the meaning of 'sanctuary' is anchored in the newcomers' evocative personal stories.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Abbreviations Publicly Available Download PDF	xv
Introduction: Sanctuary and the Immigrant City Open Access Download PDF	1
Chapter 1 Sanctuary in Solidarity: Central Americans and the Sanctuary Movement Open Access Download PDF	25
Chapter 2 Refugee Resettlement: Southeast Asians and the Resettlement System Open Access Download PDF	59
Chapter 3 African Diasporas: Liberians and Black America Open Access Download PDF	102
Chapter 4 Muslim Town: Iraqis, Syrians, and Palestinians in Arab and Muslim America Open Access Download PDF	142
Chapter 5 New Sanctuary: Mexicans and the New Immigration Movements Open Access Download PDF	179
Conclusion: What Do We Owe Each Other? Open Access Download PDF	224
Notes Open Access Download PDF	229
Index Open Access Download PDF	281

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 312
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 6
- Images: 10
- Other: 10 b&w halftones, 6 maps
Keywords: immigrant communities in philadelphia; immigrant communities in us cities; immigrant community organizations; politics of immigration; community development and immigration

eBook

Published: August 15, 2022
ISBN: 9781501764707