Lecture to address immigrant backlash in a nation of immigrants

Much of the recent rhetoric in the 2016 presidential race has been about immigration, and Augustana College will host a timely lecture on the topic.

Dr. Peter Kivisto, Richard A. Swanson Professor of Social Thought at Augustana College, will give the annual O. Fritiof Ander Lecture in Immigration History. In his talk, "Immigrant Backlash in the Nation of Immigrants," Dr. Kivisto will discuss immigration patterns to the United States during the past 50 years, and the present tension between immigrants.

Kivisto also is a visiting professor and research fellow at the University of Trento in Italy. His research focuses on immigration, social integration and civil society. He is a leading international scholar in the fields of immigration, race and ethnicity, religion and social theory, and has published more than 30 books and numerous articles. One of his primary areas of interest is Finnish and Finnish-American history and society. In 2013 he received an honorary degree from the University of Turku in Finland.

The lecture will take place on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. in Room 102 of the Hanson Hall of Science (726 35th St., Rock Island). This event, hosted by Augustana's Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center, is free and open to the public.

The O. Fritiof Ander Lecture in Immigration History is presented annually by a prominent scholar in the field of immigration studies. It is named after Dr. O. Fritiof Ander, a leading immigration historian who taught history at Augustana College 1930-1968.