Débora Upegui-Hernández
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199732074
- eISBN:
- 9780199933457
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199732074.003.0013
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology
This chapter explores how Colombian and Dominican children of immigrants living in New York City negotiate multiple identities, selves, cultures, and histories within transnational social fields. ...
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This chapter explores how Colombian and Dominican children of immigrants living in New York City negotiate multiple identities, selves, cultures, and histories within transnational social fields. Children of immigrants grow up in the midst of multiple cultures and juggle an array of cultural norms, values, and expectations of their parents’ culture and those of mainstream “American” culture, while they maintain transnational ties to the home country of their parents. This chapter is based on a mixed-methods secondary analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data collected on Dominican and Colombian young adult children of immigrants (ages 18 to 32) living in New York City by the Immigrant Second Generation in Metropolitan New York study (ISGMNY) in 1998–2000 (Kasinitz, Mollenkopf, & Waters, 2004). The author argues that children of immigrants navigate multiple identities as a result of their experiences of growing up within transnational social fields shaped by their parents’ home country and the United States. Second, children of immigrants embrace and feel at ease with the complexity and ambiguity inherent in their border-crossing lives. Third, children of immigrants construct and manage their personal and social identities by comparing and contrasting their multiple cultural repertoires without juxtaposing them as oppositional dichotomies. Using a transnational perspective allows us to approach the study of migration and its impact on people’s lives with a lens of continuity and recognizes migration as a family project and as a process of transition and change where migrants maintain connection between their pasts, presents, and futures through subsequent generations.Less
This chapter explores how Colombian and Dominican children of immigrants living in New York City negotiate multiple identities, selves, cultures, and histories within transnational social fields. Children of immigrants grow up in the midst of multiple cultures and juggle an array of cultural norms, values, and expectations of their parents’ culture and those of mainstream “American” culture, while they maintain transnational ties to the home country of their parents. This chapter is based on a mixed-methods secondary analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data collected on Dominican and Colombian young adult children of immigrants (ages 18 to 32) living in New York City by the Immigrant Second Generation in Metropolitan New York study (ISGMNY) in 1998–2000 (Kasinitz, Mollenkopf, & Waters, 2004). The author argues that children of immigrants navigate multiple identities as a result of their experiences of growing up within transnational social fields shaped by their parents’ home country and the United States. Second, children of immigrants embrace and feel at ease with the complexity and ambiguity inherent in their border-crossing lives. Third, children of immigrants construct and manage their personal and social identities by comparing and contrasting their multiple cultural repertoires without juxtaposing them as oppositional dichotomies. Using a transnational perspective allows us to approach the study of migration and its impact on people’s lives with a lens of continuity and recognizes migration as a family project and as a process of transition and change where migrants maintain connection between their pasts, presents, and futures through subsequent generations.
Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780520297128
- eISBN:
- 9780520969629
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520297128.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Migration Studies (including Refugee Studies)
War and terror, demographic imbalances, unchecked climate change, and rampant criminality are the drivers of catastrophic migrations. In the first quarter of the twenty-first century, we witnessed ...
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War and terror, demographic imbalances, unchecked climate change, and rampant criminality are the drivers of catastrophic migrations. In the first quarter of the twenty-first century, we witnessed the largest number of forcefully displaced human beings in record. Concurrently the world is now facing the largest “crisis of confinement” in history, leaving millions of human beings in search of shelter far away from the high and middle-income countries, lingering in interminable limbo.
In the aftermath of World War II, Europe, the United States, and their allies developed policies for forcefully displaced refugees based on the assumption that whatever caused them to flee their homes would be resolved and refugees would return home. These architectures, we argue, are misaligned with the new conditions. Devastated environments in states with weak institutional capacities hold little promise for safe return. A new twenty-first-century cartography of mass migration suggests forms of migration that do not fit existing policy frameworks. First, most forcefully displaced migrants today stay as internally displaced either in their own countries or in camps in neighboring states often in subhuman conditions with few protections. Second, protracted conflicts are sending millions fleeing with no expectation of returning. Third the architectures in place are generally blind to the developmental needs of children.
Crying children are the face of the catastrophic migrations of the twenty-first century. Worldwide, one in every two hundred children is a refugee, almost twice the number of a decade ago. In 2017, there were over twenty-eight million children forcefully displaced. For the first time in history, over half of all refugees under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees mandate are minors. Even when temporary protection is possible or desirable, children in flight need more than a safe haven. They need a place to grow up. They need the safety of home. In this Introduction we review the best evidence and current thinking on physical health, mental health, and trauma; legal protections; and education for forcefully displaced children and youth.Less
War and terror, demographic imbalances, unchecked climate change, and rampant criminality are the drivers of catastrophic migrations. In the first quarter of the twenty-first century, we witnessed the largest number of forcefully displaced human beings in record. Concurrently the world is now facing the largest “crisis of confinement” in history, leaving millions of human beings in search of shelter far away from the high and middle-income countries, lingering in interminable limbo.
In the aftermath of World War II, Europe, the United States, and their allies developed policies for forcefully displaced refugees based on the assumption that whatever caused them to flee their homes would be resolved and refugees would return home. These architectures, we argue, are misaligned with the new conditions. Devastated environments in states with weak institutional capacities hold little promise for safe return. A new twenty-first-century cartography of mass migration suggests forms of migration that do not fit existing policy frameworks. First, most forcefully displaced migrants today stay as internally displaced either in their own countries or in camps in neighboring states often in subhuman conditions with few protections. Second, protracted conflicts are sending millions fleeing with no expectation of returning. Third the architectures in place are generally blind to the developmental needs of children.
Crying children are the face of the catastrophic migrations of the twenty-first century. Worldwide, one in every two hundred children is a refugee, almost twice the number of a decade ago. In 2017, there were over twenty-eight million children forcefully displaced. For the first time in history, over half of all refugees under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees mandate are minors. Even when temporary protection is possible or desirable, children in flight need more than a safe haven. They need a place to grow up. They need the safety of home. In this Introduction we review the best evidence and current thinking on physical health, mental health, and trauma; legal protections; and education for forcefully displaced children and youth.
Mary C. Waters
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780520297128
- eISBN:
- 9780520969629
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520297128.003.0016
- Subject:
- Sociology, Migration Studies (including Refugee Studies)
This chapter reviews what is known about how the children of immigrants to the United States are integrating. Overall the second generation is integrating with natives, showing a great deal of ...
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This chapter reviews what is known about how the children of immigrants to the United States are integrating. Overall the second generation is integrating with natives, showing a great deal of progress compared to their parents levels in socioeconomic attainment. In other areas such as crime, health and family type, the children of immigrants are also converging with native born Americans, but in these three areas this makes them worse off because first generation immigrants have lower crime rates, better health and more intact families than native born Americans. While the children of immigrants suffer from racial discrimination and rising income inequality which also affects the native born, there is one area in which they face a specific barrier to their integration and well-being—legal status. Undocumented children and the citizen children of the undocumented show more psychological distress, lower educational attainment and other negative consequences stemming from their parents legal status. Universal policy solutions that address racial discrimination and income inequality are recommended. In addition, an appeal to human rights and to American shared moral values are suggested as a way forward to improve conditions for undocumented immigrants and their families and to reach a lasting solution to America’s immigration impasse.Less
This chapter reviews what is known about how the children of immigrants to the United States are integrating. Overall the second generation is integrating with natives, showing a great deal of progress compared to their parents levels in socioeconomic attainment. In other areas such as crime, health and family type, the children of immigrants are also converging with native born Americans, but in these three areas this makes them worse off because first generation immigrants have lower crime rates, better health and more intact families than native born Americans. While the children of immigrants suffer from racial discrimination and rising income inequality which also affects the native born, there is one area in which they face a specific barrier to their integration and well-being—legal status. Undocumented children and the citizen children of the undocumented show more psychological distress, lower educational attainment and other negative consequences stemming from their parents legal status. Universal policy solutions that address racial discrimination and income inequality are recommended. In addition, an appeal to human rights and to American shared moral values are suggested as a way forward to improve conditions for undocumented immigrants and their families and to reach a lasting solution to America’s immigration impasse.
Natasha Kumar Warikoo
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520262102
- eISBN:
- 9780520947795
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520262102.001.0001
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Anthropology, Global
This examination of children of immigrants in New York and London asks, “Is there a link between rap/hip-hop-influenced youth culture and motivation to succeed in school? The author challenges ...
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This examination of children of immigrants in New York and London asks, “Is there a link between rap/hip-hop-influenced youth culture and motivation to succeed in school? The author challenges teachers, administrators, and parents to look beneath the outward manifestations of youth culture—the clothing, music, and tough talk—to better understand the internal struggle faced by many minority students as they try to fit in with peers while working to lay the groundwork for successful lives. Using ethnographic, survey, and interview data in two racially diverse, low-achieving high schools, she analyzes seemingly oppositional styles, tastes in music, and school behaviors, finding that most teens try to find a balance between success with peers and success in school.Less
This examination of children of immigrants in New York and London asks, “Is there a link between rap/hip-hop-influenced youth culture and motivation to succeed in school? The author challenges teachers, administrators, and parents to look beneath the outward manifestations of youth culture—the clothing, music, and tough talk—to better understand the internal struggle faced by many minority students as they try to fit in with peers while working to lay the groundwork for successful lives. Using ethnographic, survey, and interview data in two racially diverse, low-achieving high schools, she analyzes seemingly oppositional styles, tastes in music, and school behaviors, finding that most teens try to find a balance between success with peers and success in school.
Ruben Rumbaut
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520230118
- eISBN:
- 9780520927513
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520230118.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Migration Studies (including Refugee Studies)
The new immigration to the United States is unprecedented in its diversity of color, class, and cultural origins. Over the past few decades, the racial and ethnic composition and stratification of ...
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The new immigration to the United States is unprecedented in its diversity of color, class, and cultural origins. Over the past few decades, the racial and ethnic composition and stratification of the American population—as well as the social meanings of race, ethnicity, and American identity—have fundamentally changed. This book examines the lives and trajectories of the children of today's immigrants. The emerging ethnic groups of the United States in the twenty-first century are being formed in this process, with potentially profound societal impacts. Whether this new ethnic mosaic reinvigorates the nation or spells a quantum leap in its social problems depends on the social and economic incorporation of this still-young population. The chapters probe systematically and in depth the adaptation patterns and trajectories of concrete ethnic groups. They provide a close look at this rising second generation by focusing on youth of diverse national origins—Mexican, Cuban, Nicaraguan, Filipino, Vietnamese, Haitian, Jamaican, and other West Indian—coming of age in immigrant families on both coasts of the United States. The chapters' analyses draw on the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study, the largest research project of its kind to date. The book demonstrates that, while some of the ethnic groups being created by the new immigration are on a clear upward path, moving into society's mainstream in record time, others are headed toward a path of blocked aspirations and downward mobility. It concludes with a chapter summarizing the main findings, discussing their implications, and identifying specific lessons for theory and policy.Less
The new immigration to the United States is unprecedented in its diversity of color, class, and cultural origins. Over the past few decades, the racial and ethnic composition and stratification of the American population—as well as the social meanings of race, ethnicity, and American identity—have fundamentally changed. This book examines the lives and trajectories of the children of today's immigrants. The emerging ethnic groups of the United States in the twenty-first century are being formed in this process, with potentially profound societal impacts. Whether this new ethnic mosaic reinvigorates the nation or spells a quantum leap in its social problems depends on the social and economic incorporation of this still-young population. The chapters probe systematically and in depth the adaptation patterns and trajectories of concrete ethnic groups. They provide a close look at this rising second generation by focusing on youth of diverse national origins—Mexican, Cuban, Nicaraguan, Filipino, Vietnamese, Haitian, Jamaican, and other West Indian—coming of age in immigrant families on both coasts of the United States. The chapters' analyses draw on the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study, the largest research project of its kind to date. The book demonstrates that, while some of the ethnic groups being created by the new immigration are on a clear upward path, moving into society's mainstream in record time, others are headed toward a path of blocked aspirations and downward mobility. It concludes with a chapter summarizing the main findings, discussing their implications, and identifying specific lessons for theory and policy.
Alejandro Portes, Rosa Aparicio, and Williiam Haller
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780520286290
- eISBN:
- 9780520961579
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520286290.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Migration Studies (including Refugee Studies)
This is a study of the adaptation of second-generation immigrants—children of immigrants—in Spain. It is based on a sample of close to seven thousand students, who were originally interviewed in ...
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This is a study of the adaptation of second-generation immigrants—children of immigrants—in Spain. It is based on a sample of close to seven thousand students, who were originally interviewed in schools of metropolitan Madrid and Barcelona in 2008–09, when they were, on average, fourteen years old. The sample was followed into late adolescence and reinterviewed at an average age of eighteen, by the time of high school graduation or entry into the labor market. A sample of the respondents’ parents (20 percent) was also interviewed in 2010. The project replicated the design of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS), the only study of its kind ever conducted in the United States. The parallel designs allow systematic comparisons between the two countries on adaptation outcomes, such as educational achievement and ambition; labor-market participation, occupational status, and income; national self-identity and self-esteem; experiences of discrimination; and indicators of downward assimilation, such as early childbearing and incidents of arrest and incarceration. Known by its Spanish acronym (ILSEG), this study is the first of its kind ever completed in Europe. Its results, presented in successive chapters of this book, bear directly on theories of immigrant adaptation, as well as on policies by receiving countries to promote settlement and successful integration of immigrants and their children. Overall, the Spanish model of integration—based on a practical approach to the situation and needs of the foreign-born, without any demands for rapid assimilation—has worked well. Children of immigrants in Spain have joined the universe of their native-parentage age peers relatively painlessly, as evidence by low perceptions of discrimination and rapid increases in self-identification with the country. These findings contrast with the rather problematic adaptation of immigrants and their children in countries bent on imposing a rapid assimilation model, together with the disappearance of culturally distinct ethnic communities.Less
This is a study of the adaptation of second-generation immigrants—children of immigrants—in Spain. It is based on a sample of close to seven thousand students, who were originally interviewed in schools of metropolitan Madrid and Barcelona in 2008–09, when they were, on average, fourteen years old. The sample was followed into late adolescence and reinterviewed at an average age of eighteen, by the time of high school graduation or entry into the labor market. A sample of the respondents’ parents (20 percent) was also interviewed in 2010. The project replicated the design of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS), the only study of its kind ever conducted in the United States. The parallel designs allow systematic comparisons between the two countries on adaptation outcomes, such as educational achievement and ambition; labor-market participation, occupational status, and income; national self-identity and self-esteem; experiences of discrimination; and indicators of downward assimilation, such as early childbearing and incidents of arrest and incarceration. Known by its Spanish acronym (ILSEG), this study is the first of its kind ever completed in Europe. Its results, presented in successive chapters of this book, bear directly on theories of immigrant adaptation, as well as on policies by receiving countries to promote settlement and successful integration of immigrants and their children. Overall, the Spanish model of integration—based on a practical approach to the situation and needs of the foreign-born, without any demands for rapid assimilation—has worked well. Children of immigrants in Spain have joined the universe of their native-parentage age peers relatively painlessly, as evidence by low perceptions of discrimination and rapid increases in self-identification with the country. These findings contrast with the rather problematic adaptation of immigrants and their children in countries bent on imposing a rapid assimilation model, together with the disappearance of culturally distinct ethnic communities.
Jan O. Jonsson and Carina Mood
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198797968
- eISBN:
- 9780191839276
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198797968.003.0011
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Public and Welfare, International
This chapter looks at child poverty trends in Sweden across two recessions, the first (severe) 1991–6, and the second (hardly noticeable) 2008–10, using a number of measures. Absolute (bread-line) ...
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This chapter looks at child poverty trends in Sweden across two recessions, the first (severe) 1991–6, and the second (hardly noticeable) 2008–10, using a number of measures. Absolute (bread-line) household income poverty and economic deprivation surged, with some lag, during the first recession, but shrunk steadily as the macro-economy improved up until around 2006, after which there is no trend but temporary fluctuations. Relative income poverty fell somewhat during the earlier recession but has grown since the mid-1990s, mainly because of a more precarious situation for one-parent families and non-employed parents (often immigrants). In a rare but theoretically important step, child poverty is also measured by young people’s own reports, showing few trends between 2000 and 2011. While material conditions improved somewhat, relative poverty did not change, in stark contrast to household relative poverty—perhaps because poor parents distribute more economic resources to their children during hard times.Less
This chapter looks at child poverty trends in Sweden across two recessions, the first (severe) 1991–6, and the second (hardly noticeable) 2008–10, using a number of measures. Absolute (bread-line) household income poverty and economic deprivation surged, with some lag, during the first recession, but shrunk steadily as the macro-economy improved up until around 2006, after which there is no trend but temporary fluctuations. Relative income poverty fell somewhat during the earlier recession but has grown since the mid-1990s, mainly because of a more precarious situation for one-parent families and non-employed parents (often immigrants). In a rare but theoretically important step, child poverty is also measured by young people’s own reports, showing few trends between 2000 and 2011. While material conditions improved somewhat, relative poverty did not change, in stark contrast to household relative poverty—perhaps because poor parents distribute more economic resources to their children during hard times.
Alejandro Portes, Rosa Aparicio, and William Haller
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780520286290
- eISBN:
- 9780520961579
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520286290.003.0007
- Subject:
- Sociology, Migration Studies (including Refugee Studies)
This chapter examines educational attainment is our sample of second-generation youths, comparing it to native-parentage students and, subsequently, to results among children of immigrants in the ...
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This chapter examines educational attainment is our sample of second-generation youths, comparing it to native-parentage students and, subsequently, to results among children of immigrants in the United States, based on CILS data. Staying in school, type of school attended, and average grades are the objective indicators examined. To these, we add educational ambition and attitudes toward the schools attended. Multivariate analysis highlights the role of family status and parental expectations in increasing both educational ambition and academic attainment among second-generation youths. The chapter closes with two structural models graphically summarizing the educational attainment process among children of immigrants in Spain.Less
This chapter examines educational attainment is our sample of second-generation youths, comparing it to native-parentage students and, subsequently, to results among children of immigrants in the United States, based on CILS data. Staying in school, type of school attended, and average grades are the objective indicators examined. To these, we add educational ambition and attitudes toward the schools attended. Multivariate analysis highlights the role of family status and parental expectations in increasing both educational ambition and academic attainment among second-generation youths. The chapter closes with two structural models graphically summarizing the educational attainment process among children of immigrants in Spain.
Alejandro Portes, Rosa Aparicio, and William Haller
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780520286290
- eISBN:
- 9780520961579
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520286290.003.0004
- Subject:
- Sociology, Migration Studies (including Refugee Studies)
We review the research design of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS) as a prelude to presenting the methodology of the Longitudinal Study of the Second Generation (ILSEG in its ...
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We review the research design of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS) as a prelude to presenting the methodology of the Longitudinal Study of the Second Generation (ILSEG in its Spanish acronym) in Spain. The sampling strategy, questionnaire design, and instrument administration of ILSEG closely parallel those of CILS and facilitate comparisons between the countries. The rationale for employing a longitudinal design and its advantages relative to cross-sectional surveys are explained. We present evidence of the success of the follow-up ILSEG sample in terms of absence of bias relative to the original one. The second generation’s replacement survey, completed in 2012, also turned out to be quite similar to the follow-up sample in a number of objective characteristics. This allows us to merge both samples to increase the reliability and representativeness of adaptation results over time.Less
We review the research design of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS) as a prelude to presenting the methodology of the Longitudinal Study of the Second Generation (ILSEG in its Spanish acronym) in Spain. The sampling strategy, questionnaire design, and instrument administration of ILSEG closely parallel those of CILS and facilitate comparisons between the countries. The rationale for employing a longitudinal design and its advantages relative to cross-sectional surveys are explained. We present evidence of the success of the follow-up ILSEG sample in terms of absence of bias relative to the original one. The second generation’s replacement survey, completed in 2012, also turned out to be quite similar to the follow-up sample in a number of objective characteristics. This allows us to merge both samples to increase the reliability and representativeness of adaptation results over time.
