Jose C. Moya

The period between the mid-nineteenth century and World War I witnessed an era of unprecedented transoceanic migration. This phenomenon has drawn the attention of numerous scholars who have attempted to make sense of it by studying both the experience of the immigrants themselves as well as attempting to formulate a theory to explain why these people decided to migrate to a new land. Despite the number and influence that Spanish immigrants had in the Americas, few scholars have chosen to explore this topic; one possible reason for this is that relatively few chose to migrate to the United States. Jose Moya seeks to remedy this neglect with Cousins and Strangers.
Moya's analysis of Spanish migration to Argentina seeks to both illuminate the experiences of Spanish immigrants in Argentina as well as to "contribute to a better understanding of the immigration experience in general" (3). He seeks to determine why immigrants left their homeland, and their experiences assimilating and adapting to their new home. Moya uses a variety of methods to tell his story. He examined "the interaction between macro structural forces and micro social networks shaped emigration and adaptation patterns" (4). He also uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative sources, relying on press sources, jokes, and other ethnic sources in addition to a "database with information on more than 60,000 individuals" (5).
Moya immediately seeks to demonstrate why immigrants chose to embark upon transoceanic voyages in search of a new home, demolishing the old push-pull theory that attributed emigration to bad economic conditions pushing peoples from their homeland, while favorable economic conditions pull these same people to new lands. By analyzing the experiences of emigrants who originated from specific villages or counties in Spain, Moya found that the old immigration myths were false. Family connections played a larger part in determining migration patterns than economic conditions.
Moya also attempted to draw broader conclusions concerning the Spanish immigrant's experience in Argentina, covering many aspects of their attempts at adaptation, from where they chose to live, how they formed neighborhoods, their occupations, and their occupational mobility. Moya compares these experiences with those of other nationalities to determine if there are any traits that can be called common for immigrants and which, if any, can be attributed to the Spanish immigrant as Spaniard. In the end, Moya found that "Spaniards behaved, in terms of their emigration and adaptation, not like cousins and strangers but like immigrants," finding more similarities with other ethnic immigrants in their adaptive strategies (404).
Moya 's analysis is persuasive, particularly his demolition of time-honored ideas about immigration and the attendant effects of industrialization. The breadth and depth of his research is impressive, utilizing archival information from both sides of the Atlantic, as well as immigrants' stories, jokes, plays, newspapers; and government documents including census data. The study is well organized and written with an eye toward both organization and clarity. While Moya's use of cliometrics may be somewhat overwhelming, yet his extensive use of charts and tables ensures that the quantitative data is clearly organized for optimum understanding by students at the graduate and undergraduate level. Moya successfully inserts his narrative into the larger historiography of immigration and Argentine history, at times refuting the accepted wisdom of past historians. The results are nothing less than remarkable.… (lisätietoja)