Unity Out of Diversity, or “Utter Failure”? Debating and Evaluating Policies of Multiculturalism and Immigration

Irene Bloemraad is the Thomas Garden Barnes Chair of Canadian Studies and Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. An internationally recognized expert on immigration, she was a member of the U.S. National Research Council panel on “Integration of Immigrants in U.S. Society” (2014-15) and a Senior Fellow with the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.
Bloemraad’s work examines the intersection of immigration and politics, with emphasis on citizenship, immigrants’ political and civic participation, and multiculturalism. Her research has appeared in top academic journals spanning the fields of sociology, political science, history and ethnic/ migration studies. She has authored or co-edited three books: Rallying for Immigrant Rights (2011), Civic Hopes and Political Realities (2008) and Becoming a Citizen: Incorporating Immigrants and Refugees in the United States and Canada (2006), which won an honorable mention for the best book from the American Sociological Association’s International Migration section.
Bloemraad’s work employs a wide range of methodologies, from statistical analyses of large datasets to indepth, in-person qualitative interviews. In addition to her work on immigration, she also publishes and teaches about comparative methodology, research design and indepth interviewing.
Professor Bloemraad believes that excellence in research and teaching go hand-in-hand. At the University of California, she has been honored with the American Cultures Innovation in Teaching prize (2013), the division of Social Sciences’ Distinguished Teaching Award (2012), and the Sarlo Distinguished Mentoring Award (2008) for her work with graduate students. Bloemraad speaks regularly about immigration to audiences outside academia, lecturing to all ages, from 4th grade classrooms to concerned citizens in retirement communities.

A proud product of the Saskatoon public schools, Bloemraad received a B.A. (Political Science) and M.A. (Sociology) from McGill University, and her Ph.D. (Sociology) from Harvard University.