Making the connection: Latino immigrants and their cross-border ties

This paper uses the Pew Hispanic Center's 2006 National Survey of Latinos to study the everyday, routine cross-border activities of travel, remittance sending and telephone communication among Latin American immigrants in the United States. We ask how migrants vary in the intensity of their cross-border connections, distinguishing among the transmigrants, those captured by the host-country national social field, and those who maintain some ongoing home-country tie. We then examine the characteristics associated both with variations in the intensity of connectedness and with each specific type of connection. We show that most migrants maintain some degree of home-country connectedness, with a minority severing ties and a still smaller minority maintaining ties at a high degree of intensity. Connectivity is highly responsive to the location of key social ties, acculturation, and citizenship status, as well as the costs associated with the different types of cross-border activity.     

Racial/ethnic differences in post-migration education among adult immigrants in the USA

Despite the extensive scholarly interest in racial/ethnic differences in education among immigrants in the USA, limited research has examined the determinants of racial/ethnic gaps in post-migration adult education. Most immigrants, however, move to the USA as young adults, when education is decisive in shaping their incorporation. We use the National Household Education Survey (NHES) to examine whether pre-migration human capital and post-migration socio-economic circumstances can account for racial/ethnic differences in post-migration schooling. The results reveal that Latino/a immigrants are less likely than white and Asian immigrants to attend advanced and career-related educational programmes, but they seek general education more than Asians. These differences can be explained by racial/ethnic disparities in pre-migration human capital and post-migration employment, with pre-migration education and language training being particularly important. We conclude that education has a tendency to reproduce class structures across borders, and that social policy should counteract these cumulative disadvantage processes.     

Conflict and contestation in the cross-border community: hometown associations reassessed

Drawing on a broad variety of field research projects among Salvadoran immigrant hometown associations in Los Angeles, conducted over a ten-year period, this paper seeks to contribute to the emerging literature on hometown associations by shifting the focus to the political processes underlying associational politics and the characteristics of the organizational field that structures their activities. We argue that conflict, both among migrants in the ‘hostland’ and between migrants in the hostland and stay-behinds in the ‘homeland’, is an inherent aspect of hometown association activities and their efforts to create sociability ‘here’ and development ‘there’. We demonstrate that the hometowners abroad have difficulty deciding what they share in common; those who do engage in organized efforts to span here and there represent a select few. Moreover, the issue of how the migrants and their associations relate to the people and institutions left behind is often a dilemma, resolved in any number of ways, not all of which render satisfaction at either ends of the chain.     

A family affair: how and why second-generation Filipino-Americans engage in transnational social and economic connections

In this article, I argue that second-generation migrants can engage in cross-border ties as a result of first-generation migrants mediating relationships between their children and those abroad. This paper draws on interviews with second-generation Filipino-Americans to demonstrate how and why respondents engage in mediated social and economic cross-border ties collectively with first-generation migrant parents. Second-generation Filipino-Americans feel an obligation, not necessarily to those in the Philippines, but to parents who request that their children engage in transnational social and economic ties. Just as parents serve as the means and reasoning for why these transnational connections persist among their children, parents play a role in why ties fail to manifest. By looking into why some engage in social and economic cross-border ties while others do not, I provide insight into how the children of migrants participate in the transnational social field.     

Name change and destigmatization among Middle Eastern immigrants in Sweden

Abstract

Research has shown that individuals in Sweden with foreign-sounding surnames who take on more Swedish-sounding or neutral surnames have a positive earnings progression compared to individuals who keep their foreign-sounding names. This article explores the strategies underlying these surname changes. I draw on forty-five interviews from a population of individuals with Middle Eastern backgrounds who changed surnames during the 1990s. Drawing on stigma and destigmatization theory, I argue that immigrant name change, a strategy typically associated with cultural assimilation, is a destigmatization strategy aiming for pragmatic assimilation. Through passing (as either Swedish or non-Middle Eastern), immigrants may keep the benefits of maintaining ethnic identity in their private life and the benefits of more easy public interactions outside the ethnic group. This study also illustrates how the institutional enabling of name change both creates and enables pragmatic assimilation.     

Beyond co-ethnicity: the politics of differentiating and integrating new immigrants in Singapore

This essay joins the ongoing debates about the role of co-ethnic ties in the making of diaspora identity by examining Singaporean Chinese perceptions of new immigrants from the mainland and the state's strategies in integrating the newcomers. The public discourses on new Chinese immigrants have produced three interlinked narratives: (1) newcomers are socially and culturally different from the mainstream and earlier immigrants; (2) newcomers have intensified the competition for scarce resources; and (3) newcomers are politically attached to China, whose rise as a global power only serves to reinforce such linkages. I argue that co-ethnicity and common cultural heritage play little role in shaping local Singaporeans' view of the new diaspora; instead, political pragmatism and new identity politics that prioritize the nation above ethnicity are the key factors influencing public attitudes and policy options regarding new immigrants. Furthermore, intra-diaspora differences/conflicts have reinforced interracial solidarity and contributed to the nation-building project.     

Maternal obesity is associated with younger age at obesity onset in U.S. adolescent offspring followed into adulthood

Objective: The objective was to test the hypothesis that maternal obesity is associated with younger age of offspring's obesity onset. Research Methods and Procedures: We used prospective, nationally representative, longitudinal data collected across Waves I (1995; 12 to 20 years), II (1996; 13 to 20 years), and III (2001; 18 to 28 years) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 14,654; 49% female). Interval regression analysis was used to assess the association between maternal obesity and age at offspring's obesity onset (International Obesity Task Force BMI ≥30 equivalent age‐ and sex‐specific cut‐off points for adolescents and BMI ≥30 for young adults) using self‐reported heights and weights, adjusting for race/ethnicity, sex, parental education, and family income, accounting for complex sampling design. Results: The net effect of having an obese mother varied by race/ethnicity and was associated with a significantly earlier age at obesity onset (p = 0.0001) for whites [β= ?8.1 year, 95% confidence interval (CI), ?9.3; ?6.9)], blacks (β = ?10.8 years, 95% CI, ?12.4; ?9.2), Hispanics (β = ?7.0 years, 95% CI, ?9.2; ?4.8), and Asians (β = ?8.6 years, 95% CI, ?13.3; ?3.9). Earlier obesity onset (<18 years) was associated with increased severity at young adulthood (mean BMI, 36.0 ± 0.3 kg/m²) vs. onset after age 18 (mean BMI, 34.4 ± 0.2 kg/m²; p = 0.0001). There were no sex differences in the association of maternal obesity to age at obesity onset. Conclusions: Having an obese mother was associated with earlier age at obesity onset across all race/ethnic groups, particularly non‐Hispanic blacks. Early obesity onset has important health consequences because of its association with more severe adult obesity.     

Family relations and the attitude towards ethnic minorities as close kin by marriage

Using data from a nationally representative survey (N=6,632), this study examines among native Dutch adults the relationship between current family characteristics and the attitude towards having ethnic minority members as close kin by marriage. The findings indicate that the opposition to intermarriage is quite high but differs towards different ethnic minority groups. Family cohesion – strength of family ties, the adherence to family norms and contact frequency – is related to lower acceptance of inter-ethnic marriage. This supports the idea that when the ties are tightly knit, family members have an incentive to keep ‘cultural strangers’ out of the family. In contrast, family warmth – feelings of affection and emotional support – is related to higher acceptance of inter-ethnic marriage. This is in agreement with the idea that warm and emotionally supportive family relationships can lead to the development of generalized trust, empathy and open-mindedness.     

Norms in the politics of housing for minorities: Evidence from a French,a German and a US metropolitan area

Throughout Western societies, policy‐makers who address the problems of disadvantaged ethnic and immigrant minorities confront norms that prescribe equal or preferential treatment for these groups. Variations in these norms make significant differences in policy‐making. Based on evidence from housing and planning policies and a standardized survey of local élites in comparable German, French and US metropolitan areas, this article analyses how these norms altered logics of policy‐making. Normative differences help to explain why policies to house minorities proved more successful in the German setting than in the French. Contrasts in central‐local relations, in local government, in political parties and in the social and economic background of policy‐making fail to account for the difference that these norms make. In the American setting normative ambiguities combined with institutional, social and spatial differences to render parallel norms comparatively ineffective.     

Social integration and identity of immigrants from western countries,the FSU and Ethiopia in Israel

This study of immigrants’ integration in Israel centers on one major subjective parameter, namely the immigrant's identity. To explain it we explore a series of possible factors: demographic variables, economic status, and human and social capital characteristics. Three recent immigrant groups are examined: from Western countries, from the former Soviet Union (FSU), and from Ethiopia. These immigrants came to Israel during the last two decades from different societies, following different immigration circumstances and various motives.

The findings, based on the 2007 Ruppin survey data, point to the significant impact of the identity as perceived by veteran Israelis on the immigrants’ self-identity for the three groups under study. Also, different variables affect each of the immigrant groups. FSU immigrants behaved according to most of our hypotheses, whereas Western and Ethiopian immigrants did not. Findings are discussed in light of the debate on measuring and defining immigrants’ identity.     

The minority culture of mobility of France's upwardly mobile descendants of North African immigrants

This article examines the challenges associated with the experience of upward educational mobility among descendants of North African immigrants in France. Drawing on in-depth, open-ended interviews with students and graduates of the prestigious grandes écoles, it sheds light on three specific ways in which class-based and ethno-racial inequalities intersect to shape the mobility costs that our respondents outline: (1) feelings of isolation resulting from being one of the only bursar recipients and ethno-racial minorities of their schools; (2) perceived conflation of their minority background with counter-elite dispositions; and (3) difficulties of adjusting to a student life reflecting the cultural styles of the predominantly white, upper-middle-class group. The article suggests that our respondents deploy a minority culture of mobility rooted in class and ethno-racial processes to overcome these challenges. It finally discusses implications for future research, stressing the need to examine the intersecting effect of multiple social categories in informing complex mobility experiences.     

Intersectionality,the household economy,and ethnic entrepreneurship†

ABSTRACT

The literature on ethnic entrepreneurship emphasizes the role of ethnicity in facilitating group differences in enterprise based on access to ethnic-based resources. This treatment tends to conflate family-based resources with those of ethnicity. Using a framework derived from intersectionality theory, this qualitative study investigates how two aspects of the household economy, namely household composition and family ideology, shape intra-group differences among fifty middle-class Mexican-origin entrepreneurs. Findings reveal that household class and gender dynamics shape access to three family-based resources that facilitate enterprise: family labour, entrepreneurial capital, and inheritance; differences in entrepreneurial activity between family members exceed in some cases those observed between ethnic groups. This study reveals that intersectional dimensions of identity and collectivity influence entrepreneurial outcomes within ethnic households. This study encourages researchers to consider how multiple and intersecting dimensions of identity combine for a more complete understanding of American enterprise.     

Transnational dynamics in researching migrants: self-reflexivity and boundary-drawing in fieldwork

Abstract

This article links migrant transnationalism with methodological debates, in particular the researcher's positionalities and self-reflexivity, which have so far barely been addressed in transnational studies in any systematic manner. Drawing upon my fieldwork experience in a German city, ‘Schönberg’, it examines the process of boundary-drawing and re-drawing between the research participants and the researcher. While there is undeniably a clear power hierarchy between the two parties that originates in national belonging, other positionalities such as gender, ethnicity, class and stage in the life cycle may, at their intersection, work to reverse such an asymmetrical relationship. Boundaries between ‘us’ and ‘them’ are not static and are, rather, created in a situational manner. Thus, attending to multiple positionalities in their intersection in research processes may help the researcher to re-evaluate the naturalized primacy given to national belonging.     

Immigrant generation,religiosity and civic engagement in Britain

Abstract

Immigrant integration appears to be generational in the USA, and further facilitated by religious involvement. We examine whether similar patterns exist in Britain. We find evidence for secularization across ethnic minority groups, measured by private religious practice and religious salience. Communal religious practice appears robust to generational decline. Ethnic minority members of the second generation exhibit lower social trust; for the 1.5 generation, being more religious is associated with lower trust. However, members of the 1.5 and second generation are more civically involved than the first and religiosity further increases civic involvement. While anecdotal accounts suggest that religiosity has a particularly dissociative effect on the second generation, we find no evidence for this. In sum, successive generations of ethnic minority respondents appear to be secularizing; successive generations are more civically involved than the arriving generation, although less trusting; and immigrant religiosity promotes civic integration.     

Accepting immigrants as fellow citizens: citizenship representations in relation to migration policy preferences

Citizenship representations within national populations have mainly been deduced from state policies on migration. Yet, at the individual level, no studies have investigated whether citizenship representations are reliably associated with preferences for specific migration policies (i.e. the underlying assumption for deducing citizenship representations from state policies). Because several studies have shown that state policies may not reflect understandings of citizenship within national populations, it may be more relevant to study citizenship representations at the individual level, in relation to personal preferences regarding migration policies. This study examined how ethnic, cultural and civic citizenship representations relate to migration policy preferences at the individual level among majority group high-school students (N = 1,734) in seven EU countries. Findings add to the understanding of citizenship representations and may have implications for the implementation of migration policies.     

Heritability of determinants of the metabolic syndrome among healthy Arabs of the Oman family study

The metabolic syndrome, as defined by the International Diabetes Federation, was investigated in five large, extended, highly consanguineous, healthy Omani Arab families of a total of 1277 individuals. Heritability (h2) of the phenotypic abnormalities that make up the syndrome and other related traits was estimated by variance decomposition method using SOLAR software. The overall prevalence of the syndrome was 23%. The prevalence of abnormalities making the syndrome in a descending order were: obligatory waist circumference, hypertension, raised fasting blood glucose, low serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and raised serum triglycerides (TGs). Highly significant, but widely spread, h2 values were obtained for: height (0.68), weight (0.68), BMI (0.68), serum HDL (0.63), serum leptin (0.55), percentage body fat (0.53), total serum cholesterol (0.53), fasting serum insulin (0.51), homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance index (0.48), serum TG (0.43), waist circumference (0.40), diastolic blood pressure (0.38), and 2-hour glucose level (0.17), whereas for the metabolic syndrome itself, h2 was 0.38. The wide spread of h2 results (0.07 to 0.68) indicates that some determinants, such as weight, BMI, and HDL level, are under significant genetic influence among the Omani Arabs. Other determinants such as insulin resistance, abdominal obesity, diastolic blood pressure, and TG levels seem to be more environmentally driven.     

Recent increase of the exogamy rate in the Greek ethno-minority of Italy

In a study of the Greek ethno-linguistic community of Italy (nine villages in Apulia and four in Calabria) marriage data was obtained through direct interviews of 1653 families of primary school students (6–13 years old). The information collected consisted of the birth place of parents and grandparents of each informant. The data demonstrated that in the last generation an increase of intermarriage with native Italian speaking individuals occurred both in Apulia and Calabria (Apulia: grandparents 15.7%vs parents 33.5%; Calabria: grandparents 15.2%vs parents 31.9%).     

Intermarriage among new immigrants in the USA

Using the 2003 New Immigrant Survey data, we explore marital behaviour among new immigrants in the USA. Marital assimilation with mainstream US natives was highest among European immigrants, followed by Latin Americans, Southeast Asians, East Asians, and finally South Asians. There is no single ‘Asian’ pattern of marital assimilation. While South Asians and East Asians defy the classical assimilation theory with their strong resistance to intermarriage within the mainstream despite their high degree of structural assimilation, Southeast Asians display high rates of such marital assimilation. Europeans, as predicted by classical theory, evince high rate of marital assimilation. Latin Americans and Southeast Asians lie in between the two extremes of Europeans and other Asian subgroups. While they seem to follow a path of segmented assimilation by demonstrating within-region endogamy, compared to Europeans they have only a slightly higher propensity to marry within their nationality, suggesting ongoing assimilation along classical lines.     

Does family language matter? The role of foreign language use and family social capital in the educational achievement of immigrant students in Germany

The role of ethnic resources in the educational success of immigrants is highly disputed. Combining arguments of segmented assimilation and Coleman's concept of family social capital, this study investigates whether speaking one's language of origin at home relates to achievement by facilitating the mobilization of resources or their transmission from parents to children. Mediating and moderating mechanisms are disentangled and empirically questioned in regression models that predict the mathematical competences of immigrant students from Turkey, Poland and the former Soviet Union. Based on data from the German National Educational Panel Study, the results contradict the assumption that foreign language use will contribute to education through mechanisms of social capital. Regardless of parental human capital or the group of origin, the language used at home does not affect the students’ learning when German language proficiency is accounted for.