Vincent N. Parrillo

This book is a collection of many talks and writings of Vincent N. Parrillo, a professor of sociology, Fulbright scholar, and internationally renowned expert on immigration and intergroup relations. He gave dozens of invited lectures on three continents, frequently under the sponsorship of the U.S. State Department through its programs in the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) and the International Information Program (IIE). In representing the United States abroad, he was interviewed through numerous radio, television, and newspaper outlets, including Radio Free Europe and Voice of America. In addition, other speaking engagements came from universities in Asia, Canada, and Europe, some of these as the keynote speaker at international conferences. He was also a visiting scholar in Belgium, the Czech Republic, England, and Italy. Numerous U.S. newspapers also called upon him for his commentary on current events. His reputation, both in his homeland and abroad, primarily came from his journal articles and books that mostly centered on the themes of assimilation, diversity, or multiculturalism. As his public presentations and writings increased, they generated still more speaking invitations that in turn led to many being transcribed and printed in various scholarly publications. Many, but not all, of these writings have been included here. A unique and multidimensional person, Parrillo expanded his horizons into other fields of endeavor. He wrote, narrated, and produced six television documentaries for PBS, so popular that they were aired repeatedly and DVD copies were in heavy demand. He drew from his insights into Ellis Island and immigration to write two historical novels, He also acted in, or directed, dozens of plays comedies, dramas, and musicals for a number of community theaters in northern New Jersey. This collection is an effort to capture at least a part of his insights and observations that he presented to a worldwide public.