"Through a sensitive and profound analysis, the author reveals the reality of the displaced existence of immigrants and the harrowing contradictions that characterize it. Among these contradictions is the deep collective dishonesty through which immigration perpetuates itself, where immigrants are compelled, out of respect for themselves and the group that allowed them to leave their country of origin, to play down the suffering of emigration and to encourage more of their compatriots to join them. Separated from their families, towns, and homelands, and weighed down by the unshakeable guilt of this absence, immigrants are also 'absent' in their country of arrival, where they quickly become victims of exclusion and are seen simply as members of the workforce." "Students in sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, politics and geography, as well as the general reader, will find this an invaluable text."--BOOK JACKET.