Carl Bon Tempo
Bio:
Carl Bon Tempo is an associate professor of history at the University at Albany, SUNY. His work explores twentieth century political history. He maintains a particular focus on the history of public policy and and the histories of refugees, immigration, and human rights. Bon Tempo holds both an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, and a B.A. from Georgetown University.
Thesis Description:
The Politics of American Refugee Policy, 1952-1980
Bon Tempo wrote his dissertation on the formation and implementation of the American government’s policies toward refugees between 1952 and 1980, arguing that the study of refugee policies provides an opportunity to examine how Americans (in and out of government) conceived of citizenship and “American-ness” in the post-World War II era - and that these conceptions vitally influenced the intent and character of specific refugee policies and programs. He displayed that post-World War II era American refugee policies and laws, and the contentious deliberations that produced them, resembled the larger debates about citizenship and national identity occurring during that period.
