State of Disaster

Maria Cristina Garcia is Howard A. Newman Professor of American Studies and professor of history at Cornell University. Her most recent book is The Refugee Challenge in Post–Cold War America.
For more information about Maria Cristina Garcia, visit the Author Page.

"This book is critical for understanding how climate change intersects with hemispheric political history and regional inequality to increase immediate suffering in the wake of natural disasters and undermine longer-term safety and security. . . . Essential."—CHOICE

"A forthright work of research and witness . . . State of Disaster is a learned and fervent exposé that holds out hope that impacts can 'be minimized with strategic planning, sustainable practices, and responsible, accountable and transparent governance.'"—Foreword Reviews

"Garcia’s study is a welcome addition to the discipline. . . . The research is timely in that it centers climate change as a push factor, differentiating it from previous studies and providing a framework and methodology for subsequent research in this area."—Ethnic and Racial Studies

“State of Disaster provides concrete examples to illustrate the intricate challenges of displacement caused by disasters and the shortcomings of existing policies. As a result, it significantly contributes to existing research on migration driven by environmental and climate change. This timely book will be appreciated by students, scholars and practitioners interested in understanding how ad hoc policies and recovery efforts fall short of addressing the growing challenges of the climate crisis.”—International Migration

"Crisp, elegant, and concise. This compelling book deals expertly with the increasing problems of climate change–induced migration in the United States and the political and humanitarian challenges such migration raises within and across borders. Reveals how climate change affects people's daily lives and often leads to massive disruptions in their places of settlement, their livelihoods, and their identities."—Jorge Duany, author of Blurred Borders

"Garcia is a leading historian of displaced and mobile populations from Latin America and the Caribbean to the United States. Here, she applies serious and timely historical treatment to the important intersection of climate change and migration. With its clear, accessible writing and a new thematic approach to the region's history of migration, this book will be eagerly adopted in classrooms."—Mark Overmyer-Velazquez, editor of Beyond la Frontera