Immigration has been a contested issue for decades. This distinctive volume of essays on Southern Californian immigration is inspired by Michael Burawoy’s call for academic consideration to be more open and accessible to people in what he calls “public sociology.” The essays in Scholars and Southern Californian Immigrants in Dialogue: New Conversations in Public Sociology bridge the gap between scholars and undocumented persons themselves in an interdisciplinary and vibrant dialogue. The conversations include sociologists, lawyers, and community and religious leaders, alongside first-hand stories of immigrant survival in hostile and exploitive environments. This volume serves as a model for genuine public engagement of the immigration battle.

Contributions by: Harold D. Baker, Ivy A. M. Cargile, Chris Haynes, Patricia Huerta Medina, Karina Macias, Jennifer L. Merolla, Alexandra Noble, Adrian D. Pantoja, Caitlin Patler, Edward Poettgen, Alexandra Salvatierra