Irene Bloemraad
Program
Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being
Appointment
Scholar
Institution
University of California at Berkeley
Country
USA 
Irene Bloemraad is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. She received her M.A from McGill and her Ph.D. from Harvard University. In 2009-2010, she is a visiting researcher at the Institute for Ethnic and Migration Studies at the University of Amsterdam.
Dr. Bloemraad studies the nexus between immigration, politics and national identities. Her 2006 book, Becoming a Citizen (University of California Press), won an honorable mention from the American Sociological Association's International Migration section for best book published in the last two years. The book compares immigrants’ acquisition of citizenship and political participation in the United States and Canada, finding that government settlement and multiculturalism policies have influenced newcomers’ practice and understanding of citizenship such that immigrants to Canada show greater political incorporation than those in the United States.
Current projects examine the link between immigration-driven diversity and public-minded engagement, the visibility and influence of immigrant organizations, and the political socialization of immigrants and their native-born children. Professor Bloemraad has published on these and related topics in a variety of sociology and immigration journals. She also regularly presents her work to policy makers, academics and the general public.
Dr. Bloemraad studies the nexus between immigration, politics and national identities. Her 2006 book, Becoming a Citizen (University of California Press), won an honorable mention from the American Sociological Association's International Migration section for best book published in the last two years. The book compares immigrants’ acquisition of citizenship and political participation in the United States and Canada, finding that government settlement and multiculturalism policies have influenced newcomers’ practice and understanding of citizenship such that immigrants to Canada show greater political incorporation than those in the United States.
Current projects examine the link between immigration-driven diversity and public-minded engagement, the visibility and influence of immigrant organizations, and the political socialization of immigrants and their native-born children. Professor Bloemraad has published on these and related topics in a variety of sociology and immigration journals. She also regularly presents her work to policy makers, academics and the general public.