Racism and the Incorporation of Foreign Labour

Informed by a critical analysis of the political economy of migration, this book, originally published in 1991 and now reissued with a new Preface by the author, offers an innovative perspective for the understanding of migrations within the global capitalist system. The author argues that there are four possible modes of incorporation that foreign-born workers can be subject to: free immigrant labour; unfree immigrant labour; free migrant labour and unfree migrant labour. He demonstrates empirically that ideas about the perceived ‘racial’ capacities and incapacities of groups of people played a determinate role in the process of differential incorporation. He argues that a much clearer focus on the state in organizing and regulating migrant flows is necessary if the political economy tradition is to be successful in explaining post-war migrations.

The book will be of interest to those studying international migration and state racism. With an empirical focus on Canada, it will also be of interest to those studying race and ethnic relations and post-war immigration to Canada. Students of Caribbean immigration to North America will also find the book a rich source of ideas and information.

Vic Satzewich is Professor of Sociology at McMaster University and Past-President of the Canadian Sociological Association. He has published as either author, co-author, editor or co-editor 10 books and over 70 articles and chapters in books on various aspects of immigration, racism, transnationalism and diasporas. Among his books are The Ukrainian Diaspora (Routledge, 2002), Racism in Canada (Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2011), Points of Entry: How Canada’s Immigration Officers Decide Who Gets In (University of British Columbia Press, 2015), and ‘Race’ and Ethnicity in Canada: A Critical Introduction (Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2021). He is the recipient of several awards, including the Canadian Sociological Association’s Outstanding Contributions Award and the John Porter Best Book Prize for Points of Entry. He is also the recipient of the Metropolis Canada Immigration Researcher Award, the Canadian Ethnic Studies Association Lifetime Achievement Award, and the McMaster University Research Impact Award. In 2022, he was Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Peace and War Studies at Norwich University in Vermont, USA.