Surviving the City

The book represents one of the earliest efforts to link the history of European and Asian immigrants. The many similarities between the experiences of the two immigrant groups highlight the necessity and feasibility of examining the history of Asian and European immigrants on the same footing. Surviving the City: The Italian and Chinese Immigrant Experiences in New York City, 1890–1970 represents one of the earliest efforts to link the history of European and Asian immigrants. By emphasizing the crucial roles played by the immigrants’ traditions and the ethnic economies in shaping their adjustment patterns in America, but by no means losing sight of the impact of discrimination against the newcomers, Xinyang Wang revised the monistic approach to the study of Asian American history which for many decades focused almost exclusively on the effect of discrimination. The many similarities between the adjustment patterns of the two immigrant groups discussed in the book highlight the necessity and feasibility of examining the history of Asian and European immigrants on the same footing.