Migration and integration The case for liberalism with borders

Farer (Univ. of Denver) offers a conventional analysis of migration and integration through the lens of the liberal political tradition. He first reviews key concepts and historical events that have accompanied the rise of rich democracies and contrasts gains in human rights, economic growth, and the demographic transition with "the looming wave" of poor migrants from the Global South. He is particularly concerned with Muslim migrants, whose "illiberalism" collides, he argues, with liberal ideals such as multiculturalism and the welfare state. Farer presents three European case studies--the Nordic countries, the UK, and France--to derive options on migration and integration, before concluding with a thought experiment in which an imaginary policy advisor in a fictional country must devise an updated national narrative and a set of migration and integration policies to address Farer's diagnosis of poorly controlled borders. Providing a concise but blinkered look at the current national framework, the book unfortunately ignores key global processes that shape migration, demonstrating a lack of familiarity with migration and mobility scholarship, an instrumentalist understanding of culture, and a narrow view of Islam as a source of terrorism and illiberal practices. Farer's practical advice for wealthy, liberal democracies reads as an updated, sanitized prescription for discredited ills proposed by Samuel Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations" thesis. Summing Up: Optional. All levels. --Anita H. Fabos, Clark University