Postcolonial Citizens and Ethnic Migration / Palgrave Studies in International Relations (PDF)

Sophia University, Japan

"This is an innovative, comparative study of Antillean postcolonial and Nikkeijin ethnic return migrants from a political science perspective. Although one would never think of comparing these two immigrant groups in the Netherlands and Japan, Sharpe has uncovered some striking similarities based on research in both countries. Despite their citizenship and ethnic ties to the host country, both immigrant groups experience unexpected levels of marginalization and Sharpe's explanations for their relative lack of political incorporation are quite convincing. In addition, Sharpe effectively uses these particular case studies to interrogate broader issues related to citizenship, ethnicity, and transnationalism among immigrants in liberal democratic states. As a result, this book is of interest to a broad academic audience." - Takeyuki (Gaku) Tsuda, Arizona State University, USA

''Michael Sharpe (York College, CUNY) has produced a fascinating and well-thought out, if sometimes cumbersome, cross-regional analysis of 'privileged' ethnic and post-colonial migrations. This work not only contributes to a growing literature on post-colonial migrations, but also to state-led and societal integration mechanisms, inclusive national identity, and globalization....Overall, this work offers a valuable exploration of ethnic- or nationality-based privileged legal migration mechanisms. The book is certainly recommended reading for anyone interested in post-colonial and ethnic migration regimes, as well as those interested in the civic participation of migrants more broadly." - Jonathan Paul Katz, candidate in the MSc Migration Studies programme at the University of Oxford, UK

''The literature on the incorporation of immigrants into Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries has much to say about the role of citizenship and about different versions of nationalism across the civic/ethnic spectrum. Sharpe (York College, CUNY) offers a unique, valuable contribution to this literature. He does so through a comparative analysis of select immigrants in two countries the Netherlands and Japan who might be expected to find themselves in an advantageous position but in fact discover challenges to inclusion ... However, for complex reasons that Sharpe details carefully and convincingly, in both cases marginalization persists. It does so, he contends, at a moment when the Netherlands turns away from multiculturalism and rediscovers ethnic nationalism, and Japan moves at least haltingly in the opposite direction.'' - P. Kivisto, Augustana College, USA, writing in Choice, June 2015