Review - American Jewish Archives

Book Reviews 205
nomic prosperity, discrimination, religious organization, institu-
tional infrastructure, and continuous immigration of group mem-
bers emerge as important factors influencing the continuity of
ethnic group identity.
Other recurring phenomena include the initial residential concen-
tration of immigrant groups, economic specialization (the exploita-
tion of specific economic niches), and ethnic succession in terms of
class, neighborhood, and political dominance. Analyzing the social
trajectories of various immigrant groups-a component of the
book that recalls the ethnic stratification and mobility studies of
the 1970s -the authors conclude that small entrepreneurship consti-
tutes the most consistent avenue to social mobility, while education
typically moves the second and third generations up the social lad-
der.
While the emphasis on historical patterns brings relief and a nec-
essary focus to the wealth of material presented, it has some draw-
backs as well. The return of the same patterns in slightly different
guise at times threatens to turn the narrative into "variations upon
a theme." More significantly, however, the recurrence of a "pattern"
can easily becomes a substitute for a more thorough analysis. Binder
and Reimers present their findings in the indicative mood and shy
away from raising questions, entering debates, or drawing conclu-
sions. This approach makes the narrative not only lack a certain drive,
but lack analytical depth as well.
These elements might fall beyond the range of the authors' arnbi-
tion, which is to present a historical overview. But the fact is that,
in the current political climate in which immigration, as well as
federal support of education, welfare, and health care, are under
renewed attack, a book on ethnic history, such as the work under
review, is not without political ramifications.
It is in the later chapters, which focus on the most recent history
and deal with the complex issues of racism and race relations in the
city, that the lack of analytical rigor makes itself particularly felt. On
the one hand, New York is teeming with new immigrant groups who
seem to be "on track: as far as Binder's and Reimers' patterns are
concerned. On the other, race continues to be the big divider within
the city. Is the present situation simply a continuation of past pat-
terns, in which, as the authors note, racism, to a significant degree,