Urban Multiculturalism and Globalization in New York City : An Analysis of Diasporic Temporalities

Rating:
Summary: Great Book, Interesting Points, Great Author!
Review: I had to read this book for a course that I'm taking here in Berkeley, and I have to say that Professor Laguerre is a great teacher as well as a great writer. This book is very interesting as it talks about the inequality between non-Christians and the "mainstream" not by the usual problems of segmentation within the city or class or race, but it talks about how cultural differences affect the rhythms of daily life, and how the year runs on different tracks for different people, such as the Jews or the Muslims (who have their holiest times of the week on Saturday and Friday). Laguerre talks about how these temporal discrepancies affect New York specifically, and cities in general. If you are a Berkeley student, I definitely recommend Laguerre's American Studies 84 course.

The book, especially the first chapter, is very dense as you first learn about the idea of the chronopolis and diasporic temporalities, but once you get past these ideas, the anecdotal examples given within provide interesting and provoking ideas for you to think about. Also, some of the stories contained are kind of funny. I definitely recommend this book if you are into sociology, or if you are interested on the Jewish and Muslim cultures. If nothing else, this is a very nice read.