"This books makes an important contribution to the analysis of Syro-Lebanese relations and is of special interest to students of labor migration, particularly those concerned with issues of 'south-south' patterns of migration and temporary migration with returning cycles." - Thomas Philip (American Historical Review ) "John Chalcraft provides a convincing and multifaceted analysis of this important and ongoing chapter of Mediterranean economic and social history." - Jörg Michael Dostal (The Times Higher Education) "Full of rich analysis, this book succeeds in opening up a Middle Eastern case study to the field of transnational migration and convincingly shows how a labor market can interact with political structures to confine migrant workers within an invisible cage. An ideal angle from which to understand the complexity of Lebanese-Syrian relations." - Elizabeth Picard, Institute for Research and Study on the Arab and Muslim World (France) "The Invisible Cage lucidly deconstructs simple arguments about migration, showing how hegemony operates in a menial labor regime heavily dependent on migrant labor. This book is strong and to the point, and it covers material no other work does." - Ussama Makdisi (Rice University)