29 August 2026
Bernadette Ludwig, "Unwelcome Shores: Black Refugees in America" (Rutgers UP, 2025)
New Books Network
About
Unwelcome Shores: Black Refugees in America (Rutgers University Press, 2025) is
an ethnographic study of the Liberian refugee community in Staten
Island, New York, home to the largest per capita concentration of
Liberians in the U.S., that sheds light on the racialization of Black
refugees and the racism they have experienced at every step of their
migration journey. In this pioneering study, sociologist Bernadette
Ludwig explores
how Liberians have responded to such racist exclusions, noting how
members of this community reject the informal refugee label once they
are resettled in the United States. Liberian migrants often view the
label as a liability since the larger general public, the media, and the
U.S. government tend to regard Black refugees as an economic and social
burden unworthy of assistance. Indeed, Black refugees’ humanity is
often ignored,
Ludwig contends, in favor of overemphasizing presumed barbaric
violence, endemic wars, cultural backwardness, and diseases. By
detailing the lack of aid and support for Black refugees and describing
how Liberian refugees in particular have had to overcome various
struggles and barriers in coming to the U.S. and while living here, Unwelcome Shores highlights the overarching role of race and anti-Black racism in American society.
Dr. Bernadette Ludwig is a Sociologist and the Assistant Dean of the
Macricostas School of Arts and Sciences at Western Connecticut State
University. She is also an Affiliated Faculty with The New School's
Zolberg Institute on Migration & Mobility.
Host:
Michael L. Rosino is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Molloy
University, studying racial politics, media, and democracy. His most
recent book, Democracy Is Awkward: Grappling with Racism Inside Grassroots Political Organizing, is now available with the University of North Carolina Press.
In this episode, Dr. Ludwig mentioned an opportunity to get involved in asylum and deportation cases. Here is the link for scholars to submit their information or attend trainings to become country conditions experts.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
an ethnographic study of the Liberian refugee community in Staten
Island, New York, home to the largest per capita concentration of
Liberians in the U.S., that sheds light on the racialization of Black
refugees and the racism they have experienced at every step of their
migration journey. In this pioneering study, sociologist Bernadette
Ludwig explores
how Liberians have responded to such racist exclusions, noting how
members of this community reject the informal refugee label once they
are resettled in the United States. Liberian migrants often view the
label as a liability since the larger general public, the media, and the
U.S. government tend to regard Black refugees as an economic and social
burden unworthy of assistance. Indeed, Black refugees’ humanity is
often ignored,
Ludwig contends, in favor of overemphasizing presumed barbaric
violence, endemic wars, cultural backwardness, and diseases. By
detailing the lack of aid and support for Black refugees and describing
how Liberian refugees in particular have had to overcome various
struggles and barriers in coming to the U.S. and while living here, Unwelcome Shores highlights the overarching role of race and anti-Black racism in American society.
Dr. Bernadette Ludwig is a Sociologist and the Assistant Dean of the
Macricostas School of Arts and Sciences at Western Connecticut State
University. She is also an Affiliated Faculty with The New School's
Zolberg Institute on Migration & Mobility.
Host:
Michael L. Rosino is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Molloy
University, studying racial politics, media, and democracy. His most
recent book, Democracy Is Awkward: Grappling with Racism Inside Grassroots Political Organizing, is now available with the University of North Carolina Press.
In this episode, Dr. Ludwig mentioned an opportunity to get involved in asylum and deportation cases. Here is the link for scholars to submit their information or attend trainings to become country conditions experts.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network