Conclusion: Towards a new world - the origins and effects of transnational activities

The preceding set of articles is reviewed with a focus on the forces affecting the rise and character of grass-roots transnationalism and its effects in countries of origin and destination. The increasing visibility of the phenomenon has led to recent attacks based on its alleged disintegrative consequences for the host society and culture. From a review of the evidence in this volume and the recent literature on immigrant adaptation, I conclude that the opposite is the case. Implications of findings presented in this collection for official policies towards transnationalism and the latter's effect on sending countries are examined.     

Gaining the upper hand: Economic mobility among immigrant and domestic minorities

Labour market experiences of three immigrant minorities in the United States are reviewed and contrasted with the three principal theories bearing on ethnic poverty and economic mobility: cultural assimilation, human capital acquisition, and industrial restructuring. Although there is support for each, they do not account satisfactorily for the experiences of many ethnic groups, in particular those who have progressed on the basis of socially embedded small entrepreneurship. An alternative conceptualization is suggested by these experiences that highlights the significance of community level variables and, in particular, alternative sources of social capital. The character of these processes is examined. Its implications for theories and policy towards ethnic minorities are discussed.     

Bridging the gap: transnational and ethnic organizations in the political incorporation of immigrants in the United States

This study was prompted by concerns about the ways in which immigrant organizations, especially those of a transnational character, may retard or prevent political integration among recent migrants to the United States. For this purpose, we constructed an inventory of all organizations created by Colombian, Dominican and Mexican immigrants in the United States, interviewed leaders of the twenty largest organizations from each group in person, and conducted a survey of 178 additional organizations by telephone or Internet. Results reveal a near-absence of perceived conflict between transnational activism and political incorporation. Almost without exception, leaders asserted that there was no contradiction between home-country loyalties and activities and US citizenship and voting. These results appear to reflect genuine conviction, rather than any social desirability syndrome. Objective indicators show that most organizations maintain close ties with US political authorities at various levels and engage in a number of US-focused civic and political activities. Determinants of such engagement are examined. Implications of the results for theory and public policy are discussed.     

Hes1 Increases the Invasion Ability of Colorectal Cancer Cells via the STAT3-MMP14 Pathway

The Notch pathway contributes to self-renewal of tumor-initiating cell and inhibition of normal colonic epithelial cell differentiation. Deregulated expression of Notch1 and Jagged1 is observed in colorectal cancer. Hairy/enhancer of split (HES) family, the most characterized targets of Notch, involved in the development of many cancers. In this study, we explored the role of Hes1 in the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer. Knocking down Hes1 induced CRC cell senescence and decreased the invasion ability, whereas over-expression of Hes1 increased STAT3 phosphorylation activity and up-regulated MMP14 protein level. We further explored the expression of Hes1 in human colorectal cancer and found high Hes1 mRNA expression is associated with poor prognosis in CRC patients. These findings suggest that Hes1 regulates the invasion ability through the STAT3-MMP14 pathway in CRC cells and high Hes1 expression is a predictor of poor prognosis of CRC.     

The construction of ‘Asian American’: Reflections on intermarriage and ethnic identity among second‐generation Chinese and Korean Americans

This article explores the ethnic self‐identification of second‐generation children whose immigrant parents came to the United States from Latin America. The focus of the analysis is the adoption of the pan‐ethnic label, ‘Hispanic’, in contrast to national designators and non‐hyphenated American identities. Using data from a recent large survey of children of immigrants in south Florida and southern California, the analysis explores the determinants of ethnic self‐identities and the potential consequences of the adoption of one of these symbolic labels on children's self‐esteem, educational expectations and perceptions of discrimination. Contrary to the commonly‐held assumption that the label ‘Hispanic’ denotes greater assimilation into the mainstream of US society, our findings indicate that children who adopt the Hispanic label are the least well assimilated: they report poorer English skills, lower self‐esteem and higher rates of poverty than their counterparts who identify themselves as Americans or as hyphenated Americans. Theoretical and policy implications of findings as they bear on prospects for successful adaptation of second‐generation youth are discussed.