New York fascinates, attracts. At the heart of this Babel swarm its millions of inhabitants with an immigrant background, from its founding by the Dutch in the 16th century to the present day. In The city of dreams, originally published in English in 2016, the American historian Tyler Anbinder weaves an ambitious and abundant account of the life of these immigrants, anonymous or famous, and of the reasons which brought them to America.
Here, few statistical tables, but a kaleidoscope made up of hundreds of individual trajectories that the historian has gleaned, in particular from period newspapers, and put in context. Narrated with finesse by an alert feather, these stories describe the grueling crossing of the Atlantic.
Then, they testify to the establishment and the progressive interbreeding of these Dutch, English and Scots of the pre-revolutionary era. To these were added the Irish and Germans of the 19th century, Italians and Jews from Eastern Europe at the beginning of the 20th century, then the Chinese and Caribbean who arrived in recent decades.
Monumental fresco
Districts come to life in this monumental fresco, among others during the years 1770, 1860 and 1910, to which Anbinder pays special attention. The historian is also skillful in describing conflicts related to immigration, a topical issue under the presidency of Donald Trump. The city of dreams portrays a living picture of the ideals of diversity and tolerance, just as it shows fear, even fear, of social fragmentation, as well as the harms of discrimination, exclusion and confrontation.
This important contribution to the history of the American metropolis avoids the cliché of celebrating multiculturalism. It is a relevant reminder that the United States is first and foremost a nation of immigrants and that New York, the location of the Trump Tower, is its quintessence.
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