The Oxford Handbook of Ethnicity, Crime, and Immigration

Book Preface

When compiling the Oxford Handbook of Ethnicity, Crime, and Immigration, our intention was to produce the most authoritative and scholarly source of research and expertise on the topics around race, ethnicity, and immigration in the United States and across the Western world. Th e idea to edit the Oxford Handbook of Ethnicity, Crime, and Immigration was born aft er realizing that the key issues around various racial, ethnic, or immigrant groups are oft en interrelated (in the sense that some racial groups are at the same time also ethnic minorities and/or immigrants and vice versa), but the three areas oft en remain separated or—alternatively—become very confl ated in most scholarly analysis. Th e Oxford Handbook of Ethnicity, Crime, and Immigration is the fi rst edited volume to combine these three key research areas into one book. We have recruited outstanding scholars to contribute to this handbook and hope that our readers will feel that this end-product fulfi lls our intention.

In this handbook, our readers will fi nd up-to date, in-depth critical reviews of the main research on immigration, crime, and ethnicity, its key issues and controversial debates, as well as relevant policy recommendations and ideas for areas for future research. In addition to these essays, our handbook also contains a smaller number of national and international case studies on cutting-edge topics. We have compiled the Oxford Handbook of Ethnicity, Crime, and Immigration with a very diverse readership in mind. We anticipate that scholars will use the handbook to prepare lectures and as an essential background resource for research projects. Similarly, we think that policy makers and non-governmental agencies working on issues around immigration, ethnicity, and race will fi nd the book an invaluable source of knowledge. At the same time, the extensive overview essays on diff erent topics and national contexts seem indispensable for upper-level undergraduate students and graduate students who are taking courses on race, ethnicity, immigration, and crime.

This handbook could not have come together without the extraordinary help by and dedication of Robbi Strandemo and Su Smallen. Both of them have spent numerous hours keeping the authors and us on track, communicating with Oxford University Press and seeing this project through from start to fi nish. Th ank you, we are very grateful to you! Our thanks and gratitude also go out to our many contributing authors, without whom this project never could have been successful. Lastly, we are grateful to the editors and the staff at Oxford University Press, particularly, James Cook and Jennifer Vafidis, for believing in this Handbook and helping us to realize the project.