Críticas Magazine

Bruce Jensen

Change you can Xerox
February 22, 2008

In Atlanta right now lawmakers are earnestly debating an amendment to the Georgia state constitution that would make English the official state language. They’re welcome to do that, of course. And while they’re at it, the fellas in the legislature can also go ahead and proclaim English the official language of the former Soviet republic of Georgia. For the sake of, y’know, consistency. 

The effect of both decrees would be roughly the same. A story in The Economist yesterday ("The newest frontier: Immigrants are transforming some surprising parts of America") is yet another powerful reminder that

This and the other eye-catching points in the article ("Eight of the ten states with the biggest growth in the foreign-born Mexican population are in the South") come by way of shedding light on a brand-new book called New Faces in New Places: The Changing Geography of American Immigration, edited by Douglas S. Massey of Princeton University. 

The article speaks of the "Latinisation" (Blimey!  When will those Brits learn how to spell proper English?) of American "heartland communities." If the story whets your appetite for more on what looks to be a worthwhile read for folks who need to understand and work with these changes, look for a more detailed description of Massey's book here.

Posted by Bruce Jensen on February 22, 2008 | Comments (0)