Radical (in)hospitality: American Media And Regulatory Stances Towards Immigration And Travel Bans

This dissertation examines the ideal of immigration hospitality as it is manifested in the regulatory and media environments. Focusing on three representative periods of American immigration history--the 1880s and the Chinese Exclusion Act; the 1920s and the National Origins Quotas; and the post-9/11 treatment of Muslim immigrants in the United States—this dissertation considers the myth of the United States as a welcoming “nation of immigrants” in light of immigration restriction and anti-immigrant sentiment. In so doing, the dissertation acknowledges that the myth of the nation of immigrants is unevenly realized, though it might play a role in motivating the public to mobilize against exclusionary policies and rhetoric, potentially inspiring more inclusive hospitality in the future.