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"Trenchant and groundbreaking work" — Molly Ball,National Political Correspondent, TIME Magazine
"The go-to source for understanding how demographic change is impacting American politics." - Jonathan Capehart, The Washington Post and MSNBC
"A treasure trove" — Thomas B. Edsall, Columnist, The New York Times
"A joy to read. . . A tour de force" — Eric Kaufmann, Professor of Politics, Birkbeck College, University of London
How do societies respond to great demographic change? This question lingers over the contemporary politics of the United States and other countries where persistent immigration has altered populations and may soon produce a majority minority milestone, where the original ethnic or religious majority loses its numerical advantage to one or more foreign-origin minority groups. Until now, most of our knowledge about largescale responses to demographic change has been based on studies of individual people's reactions, which tend to be instinctively defensive and intolerant. We know little about why and how these habits are sometimes tempered to promote more successful coexistence.
To anticipate and inform future responses to demographic change, Justin Gest looks to the past. In Majority Minority, Gest wields historical analysis and interview-based fieldwork inside six of the world's few societies that have already experienced a majority minority transition to understand what factors produce different social outcomes. Gest concludes that, rather than yield to people's prejudices, states hold great power to shape public responses and perceptions of demographic change through political institutions and the rhetoric of leaders. Through subsequent survey research, Gest also identifies novel ways that leaders can leverage nationalist sentiment to reduce the appeal of nativism—by framing immigration and demographic change in terms of the national interest. Grounded in rich narratives and surprising survey findings, Majority Minority reveals that this contentious milestone and its accompanying identity politics are ultimately subject to unifying or divisive governance.
Part I: Demographic Change and the Nation State
1. Majority Minority: An Introduction
2. Escape Velocity: The Pull of Nationalism Amidst Demographic Change
3. Pathways of Majority Minority Societies: A Comparative Historical Analysis
Part II: Island Nations
4. 'An Unnatural Country': Singapore's Quest to Control the Uncontrollable
5. None For All: Citizenship and Peoplehood in Bahrain
6. Masked Conflict: Carnival and Power Relations in Trinidad and Tobago
7. Where We Belong: Maroon Villages and National Memory in Mauritius
8. Internal Affairs: Why New York's Irish Still Run the Police Department
9. Culture Change: How Howai'i Found Harmony in its Demise
Part III: Redefining the People
10. From Backlash to Coexistence: How Instiutional Choices Determine Social Boundaries
11. Nation Building: Messages and Messengers that Cultivate Coexistence
12. Borderline White: The Past and Future of Race in American Politics
13. Reimagined Communities: Connectedness as a Criterion for Governance
Notes
Bibliography
Appendix
Index
Description
"Trenchant and groundbreaking work" — Molly Ball,National Political Correspondent, TIME Magazine
"The go-to source for understanding how demographic change is impacting American politics." - Jonathan Capehart, The Washington Post and MSNBC
"A treasure trove" — Thomas B. Edsall, Columnist, The New York Times
"A joy to read. . . A tour de force" — Eric Kaufmann, Professor of Politics, Birkbeck College, University of London
How do societies respond to great demographic change? This question lingers over the contemporary politics of the United States and other countries where persistent immigration has altered populations and may soon produce a majority minority milestone, where the original ethnic or religious majority loses its numerical advantage to one or more foreign-origin minority groups. Until now, most of our knowledge about largescale responses to demographic change has been based on studies of individual people's reactions, which tend to be instinctively defensive and intolerant. We know little about why and how these habits are sometimes tempered to promote more successful coexistence.
To anticipate and inform future responses to demographic change, Justin Gest looks to the past. In Majority Minority, Gest wields historical analysis and interview-based fieldwork inside six of the world's few societies that have already experienced a majority minority transition to understand what factors produce different social outcomes. Gest concludes that, rather than yield to people's prejudices, states hold great power to shape public responses and perceptions of demographic change through political institutions and the rhetoric of leaders. Through subsequent survey research, Gest also identifies novel ways that leaders can leverage nationalist sentiment to reduce the appeal of nativism—by framing immigration and demographic change in terms of the national interest. Grounded in rich narratives and surprising survey findings, Majority Minority reveals that this contentious milestone and its accompanying identity politics are ultimately subject to unifying or divisive governance.
