American Diaspora Research Articles

Social determinants of participation in genetic research among Puerto Ricans and in the Puerto Rican diaspora

Puerto Ricans are underrepresented in genetic research. This underrepresentation denies Puerto Ricans the benefit from therapeutic developments that could mitigate health disparities arising from conditions for which genetically-derived treatments exist. The Puerto Rican diaspora, especially post-2017 due to economic and environmental crises, has expanded within the USA. Prior research suggests that Latin American diaspora communities are less likely to participate in genetic research. We hypothesized, specifically, that the Puerto Rican diaspora in the USA would be less likely to participate in genetic research than would Puerto Ricans in their homeland's archipelago, and that accounting for social and cultural determinants related to the diaspora experience would mitigate this disparity. We implemented an analytical cross-sectional study of archipelago-residing Puerto Ricans and of the USA-residing diaspora to evaluate this hypothesis. With 1582 Puerto Ricans (723 in Puerto Rico, 859 in the USA), we found that while most participants would participate in genetic research, participation rates varied significantly by diaspora status. Puerto Ricans born and living in the USA were initially more likely to decline participation compared to those in Puerto Rico (OR = 1.54, p < 0.01). However, once adjusted for social and cultural variables, this difference was eliminated (aOR = 1.08, p = n.s.). The factors influencing non-participation include oppression, discrimination, distrust, and social determinants, aligning with the theory of minoritization. An important community in the USA and in the world, Puerto Ricans have the right to participate in well-conducted research and to benefit from its findings, particularly around topics that could help address existing disparities in health outcomes.

Networks between Ireland and the Irish American Diaspora during the Northern Ireland Peace Process

Abstract This article explores the complex relationship between the network of actors in the United States and Ireland who sought to influence American foreign policy in the Northern Ireland peace process. These networks operated in civil society, representing numerous Irish American organizations linking corporate and church leaders and the media to members of the Irish American diaspora in government to influence the United States’ diplomacy. These Irish American groups and individuals interested in influencing events in Northern Ireland were linked with a wide array of governmental and non-governmental actors in Ireland. Often, Americans were quite deferential to leaders and groups in Ireland and Northern Ireland who sought to mobilize the Irish diaspora in the United States for their cause. Thus, the United States’ role in Ireland and Northern Ireland was not that of a hegemonic power but one of an empathetic actor responding to developments and cues provided by various actors in the Irish context. Transatlantic networking, made more possible due to technological changes in communication and transportation, facilitated increased exchanges of ideas, agents, and information. These networks allowed groups across the Atlantic to elicit support for local groups in Northern Ireland and mobilize the US government to play a political and diplomatic role in the conflict and peace process. Ultimately, the majority of Irish Americans moved from supporting the nationalist/republican side in the early years of the Troubles to becoming strong supporters of the peace process in the 1990s.

Rare in the country, not in the community: Chagas disease in the Latin American diaspora

Rare in the country, not in the community: Chagas disease in the Latin American diaspora

Who votes for populist presidential candidates? Differential support among US-based Latin American diasporas

What explains diaspora support for populist presidential candidates? Existing findings suggest most diaspora voters are less likely to support populist candidates. However, there are notable exceptions among Latin American diasporas. We posit educated diasporas will be less likely to support populist candidates and political socialization in destination countries with successful populists will increase support for populist candidates in origin-country elections. We use origin-country candidate-level election data from 13 Latin American diasporas residing in the United States to test these claims. Our data covers 172 candidates from 45 first-round presidential elections. We connect this voting data to time-variant demographic data from the American Community Survey (ACS) for US respondents born in our thirteen Latin American countries of interest. Our results complicate existing findings as only some diasporas have less support for populist candidates than domestic voters, while others have relatively more support. We find weak origin-country state capacity, manifested by non-reporting of consulate-level election results, explains this variation. Diasporas from weaker states leave earlier in life and are more politically socialized in the destination country, yet likely vote for populists out of a desire to restore order in their country of birth.

Argentine exiles in Spain: Translation as a practice of solidarity

s part of its solidarity activities with Chilean, Uruguayan, and Argentine exiles in Catalonia, the NGO Agermanament led by Father Josep Ribera and the Lliga dels Drets dels Pobles published a register of exiles organized according to their professional activity in the magazine Agermanamentin 1979. The categories included in the list were “visual artists, doctors/psychologists, psychoanalysts and psychiatrists, musicians, actors and singers, publicists, jurists, architects, and photographers”. Translatorswere not included in the list, even thoughtheirprofessional status had been recognized by the UNESCO in 1976 and thousands of Latin American exiles who had fled dictatorships and arrived in Spain without refugee status were working as translators. Due to the toll on the publishing sector, heavily damaged by political and cultural repression, numerous exiled Latin American intellectuals and writers entered the Catalan publishing industryas translators, proofreaders, and editors. Thisarticle aims to shed light on the quantitative and qualitative importance of translation as a practice of solidarity within the publishing sector during the Spanish transition to democracy. I want to show that members of the Latin American diaspora contributed to the constitution of a transnational publishing space, which was possible thanks to the solidarity of local publishers and exiles who created a labor network through the commission of translations.

Family linguistic ecology in Chinese American diasporas: migrants’ heritage language planning and discursive ethnolinguistic identity in-between

ABSTRACT Heritage language maintenance is a challenge faced by many immigrant parents. Previous studies on Chinese immigrant families and inheritance of the mother tongue privileged a pedagogical perspective focusing on second-language acquisition and literacy developments. Little attention has been paid to the nuanced understanding of how Chinese immigrant parents help their children construct language resilience of (un)belongingness across home and host contexts and how children negotiate fluid hybrid identity construction. Through questionnaires, semi-constructed interviews, and home visits with four Chinese immigrant families in the United States, this linguistic ethnography study probes the linguistic ecology, (in)visible language planning, and discursive identity construction in Chinese American diaspora families. The findings suggest migrant parents’ congruence and conflict in explicit and implicit family language ideology, management, and practice. Children negotiate fluid discursive identity construction and mediate hybrid culture characterised by the diversity of pathways of language learning as a (dis)continuum. The findings highlight the significance of a linguistic ecological niche in emergent bilingual immigrants’ heritage language maintenance and development. This research illuminates how parents can foster a greater sense of possibility for transitional children’s journeys of being and becoming bilinguals or multilinguals.

Feminist Relational Agency and the Cultural Contestation of Heteronormative Gender Norms in the Indian American Diaspora

Through an analysis of essays published by the online magazine American Kahani, a publication that centers contemporary generations of the Indian American community, we argue that feminist relational agency allows Indian American community members to challenge dominant expressions of culturally specific heteronormative gender norms while simultaneously fulfilling their need to maintain an “authentic” sense of cultural identity. In doing so, cultural contestation emerges as a process internal to the community through which members seek to develop alternate forms of relationality while sustaining their connectedness to “Indian (American) culture.” This study contributes to scholarship about intersectional and transnational feminist agency and the Indian American diaspora by challenging the problematic application of western frameworks of agency that see non-western cultures as barriers for women of color to overcome and by specifically calling for studies that center complex and culturally specific conceptions of agency.

Phase 2 pilot trial to optimise pharmacometric evaluations in Chagas disease (CHARM: CHAgas disease PharMacometrics)

Chagas disease is a neglected disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi that currently affects about 7 million people in the Americas and the American diaspora. Only two drugs are available to treat Chagas disease, both are associated with a high incidence of adverse events, particularly in adults, and they are also complex to administer. New treatments are needed urgently, but there is no established method of evaluating new drugs. We describe the study protocol for a pilot phase 2 descriptive observational study of parasite dynamics within the host, followed by a randomised evaluation of the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic properties of subcurative doses of anti-chagasic drugs in patients with chronic Chagas disease. This study is divided into three stages. The general objective of the study is to characterise the dynamics of the parasite within the host at steady state and the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships for each of the three drugs studied. This is based on characterising the structure and parameters of a pharmacodynamic model of parasite turnover within the host. Each stage of the study targets specific key parameters in the pharmacodynamic model of parasite dynamics (both the blood stage and the tissue stage) for individual research participants. The primary outcome measure for all three stages is blood-stage parasite density, measured by quantitative PCR. Upon completion, research participants will receive definitive treatment for Chagas disease in accordance with national guidelines. Registration ISRCTN (ISRCTN26467068; 01/07/2021).

Desis’ identity crisis in America: examining cultural and racial politics in Samira Ahmed’s Love, Hate and Other Filters (2018) and Sanjena Sathian’s Gold Diggers (2021)

ABSTRACT This paper examines literary representations of Desis, who are commonly associated with the South Asian American diaspora, in terms of their simultaneous identity formations as ethnic Indians and American citizens. It analyses the vulnerabilities of second generation Desis in America while growing up in the post-9/11 era. Poststructuralist philosopher Judith Butler’s concept of a precarious life is critically employed to investigate sociopolitical agendas that underpin racial and cultural othering of Desis. Through a comparative analysis of Samira Ahmed’s Love, Hate and Other Filters (2018) and Sanjena Sathian’s Gold Diggers (2021), the cultural and psychophysical vulnerabilities of the second generation Desis for whom success is configured in the political construct of the American dream are discussed. This critical attention to an emergent genre of Indian diaspora fiction in English paves the way for nuanced understandings of marginal identities within America’s sociopolitical and cultural locales.

Emigrant Songs of Ukrainians in the Context of Scientific Research of Robert Klymasz (Canada)

The purpose of the research is to analyse the genre and thematic, musical component and peculiarities of the transformation of emigrant songs from the collections of folk songs Introduction to the Ukrainian-Canadian Immigrant Folklore Cycle and Ukrainian Folk Songs from the Prairies by R. Klimasz (Canada). The research methodology is based on the principles of objectivity, systematicity and historicism, which is supported by the historical and cultural approach. The musicological, textual, stylistic, and contextual analyses are applied, which reveal the musical, literary, historical and cultural dimensions of the evolution of emigrant songs, and also allow us to identify the transformation of emigrant songs in new socio-cultural conditions. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the introduction into scientific circulation of the collections of sheet music of the Canadian-Ukrainian folklorist R. Klymasz, which contain samples of emigrant songs of Ukrainians in Canada as authentic musical folklore of Ukrainian immigrants in the context of studying the transformation of the musical folklore tradition of Ukrainians in the North American diaspora. Conclusions. The emigrant songs collected and published by R. Klymash, created among overseas emigrants, are part of the cultural heritage of the Ukrainian diaspora in North America, which consists of epic stories, song lyrics, and humorous and satirical dance songs. The folk song materials clearly demonstrate the current themes, melodic, rhythmic and harmonic aspects of the musical component, and the contexts of performance. The musical and poetic style of the songs expresses the peculiarities of the music of the western region of Ukraine with its respective linguistic dialects. Examples of emigrant folklore reflect the diachronic development of the song culture of Ukrainians in the diaspora from the creation of emigrant songs as authentic examples of immigrant folklore with gradual modification to complete assimilation into another cultural environment, which is expressed in the change of content of the works, the use of macaronic elements in the texts, and later – melodic borrowings.

What's in a "Latinx?": Considerations When Utilizing Pan-ethnic Identifiers of Latinidad

People of Latin American origin use many different terms to self-identify their ethnicity. To date, there are very few scholarly articles that have investigated the growing use (and potential outcomes) of the term “Latinx.” Over the past decade, this pan-ethnic identifier has been wholly ascribed to a group of people who do not all identify with it. The dearth of empirical understanding on this topic is especially concerning given its significant implications on one’s positive identity development and overall psychosocial functioning. This conceptual essay is meant to introduce readers to the role that U.S. colleges and universities played in the promulgation of the word “Latinx.” It also aims to stimulate discussion amongst readers who may question how “Latinx” came to be the pan-ethnic identifier for this community as well as those who may question whether they should adopt or reject the label. To address the aforementioned inquiries, this composition includes a brief history of the most commonly used pan-ethnic terms for the Latin American diaspora. The implications of ascribing gender-inclusive vs. gender-neutral labels on positive identity development, as well as recommendations and best practices for social work researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders, are also discussed.

Sing and Sing On: Sentinel Musicians and the Making of the Ethiopian American Diaspora By Kay Kaufman Shelemay. London and Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2022.

Sing and Sing On: Sentinel Musicians and the Making of the Ethiopian American Diaspora By Kay Kaufman Shelemay. London and Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2022.

Negotiating the salientization of identity: Hindu? Indian? American?

AbstractThis chapter starts by briefly decluttering how religion is defined through western theistic attributes, then explores students’ Hindu experiences while centering a counter socio‐religio‐cultural narrative of lived religion. I look into systemic institutional misalignments stemming from white Christian supremacy and lastly, aspects of student leadership on campuses. The chapter closes with critical reflections on scholar‐practitioner essays that address campus dynamics and my recommendations therefrom.Practical Takeaways Supporting Hindu students requires a deeper understanding of Hindu traditions’ sociological, historical, and geographical roots as well as its contemporary manifestations in the US American diaspora and its complex relations to transnational social constructs. Decentering white Christian manifestations in higher education settings for Hindu students can look like not requiring proof of “authenticity” for observances, alleviating programming and facilities hurdles, providing resources for physical spaces or offering reliable rides to places of worship, accommodating lacto‐vegetarian dietary needs, hiring dedicated staff that equitably enhance the internal diversity, and expanding interfaith engagements beyond Abrahamic faiths to include variably‐denominated Hindus. Developing inter‐functional‐area policies to redress multiple layers of marginalized religious, spiritual, and secular identities in their relations to other identities including race, caste, ethnicity, tribe, gender, (dis)ability, sexuality, and class. This includes critically interrogating internalized forms of oppression.

Sing and Sing On: Sentinel Musicians and the Making of the Ethiopian American Diaspora by Kay Kaufman Shelemay (review)

Sing and Sing On: Sentinel Musicians and the Making of the Ethiopian American Diaspora by Kay Kaufman Shelemay (review)

Performing Distinction in Big Banana: Culture at the Margins of Visibility

Central American writers have perceptively engaged with the concept of world literature from their minor positionality. For instance, as implied in the mocking undertone of its title, Roberto Quesada’s Big Banana (2000) deals with being at the edge of the periphery, following a Honduran migrant in the Latin American community in New York. Quesada explores how the protagonist channels his “deseo de mundo”, to use Mariano Siskind’s words, into a strategy of performing distinction to carve out a place for himself in a cosmopolitan society. Compounding “banana republic”—an expression coined by O. Henry, inspired by Honduras—with “The Big Apple”, Big Banana’s title underscores the book’s play with cultural registers and national and worldly identities. The growing scholarship on Central American and U.S. Central American literature has analyzed the novel through the lens of coloniality, the limits of solidarity, the experience of the Central American diaspora, and as “denuncia social”. My article instead traces how cultural productions acquire different valences each time they cross the center–periphery border in the performance of distinction that Big Banana and its protagonist carry out in response to their doubly peripheral position. In other words, this essay is concerned with the novel’s problematic instrumentalization of Western hegemonic culture—both highbrow and commercial popular culture—to make claims of worldliness and carve a space for itself in world literary circuits.

Excerpt from Sing and Sing On: Sentinel Musicians and the Making of the Ethiopian American Diaspora

Excerpt from Sing and Sing On: Sentinel Musicians and the Making of the Ethiopian American Diaspora

The Greek-American Diaspora: A Patient Population in Need of Increased β-Thalassemia Carrier Status Screening and Education

Objective: The true prevalence of β-thalassemia is unknown in the United States. Further, basic community knowledge of the disease and its pathogenesis has gone unexplored. The objective of this study was to assess disease knowledge in an at-risk Central Pennsylvanian community, and to assess self-reported carrier frequencies of β-thalassemia. To our knowledge, this is the first assessment of β-thalassemia disease knowledge in an American diaspora of an at-risk patient population. Methods: Participants were recruited in-person at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Harrisburg, PA. Permission for the on-site study was received from the Cathedral Dean and Parish Council in writing. Voluntary surveys were administered electronically via RedCap on personal devices and were offered in both Greek and English languages. Inclusion criteria were an age of 13 years and older and the ability to read in Greek or English. Participant demographics were summarized using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 154 surveys were administered. Of those administered, 140 were completed and met inclusion criteria. Participants with (n = 113) and without (n = 27) Greek heritage were polled. Over 50% of the participants surveyed held a bachelor's degree or higher. Over 64% of all participants did not recognize the term β-thalassemia at all. Over 35% of younger participants (ages 13-44 years) and 34% of older participants (45 years and older) were unaware that the disease could be inherited. Around 50% of all responses were, “Not sure” when asked to identify symptoms of β-thalassemia minor. In order to identify how participants have come to know about the disease, participants were asked about educational sources that have influenced their understanding. Word of mouth was selected as the primary source of education (38.27% in older participants), or no source at all (37.28% in younger participants). Less than 10% of participants between ages 13-44 years had ever learned about β-thalassemia from a medical professional. Participants were asked, “How early can a β-thalassemia diagnosis be made?” Answer choices included “During pregnancy”, “During infancy”, “During childhood”, “Adulthood”, and “Not sure.” Around 45% and 56% of younger and older cohorts, respectively, selected “Not sure”. Out of 140 participants surveyed, 12 (8.57%) responded that they were known carriers of β-thalassemia trait or had β-thalassemia. Eleven reported having β-thalassemia minor (7.85%, Fig. 1), while 1 reported having β-thalassemia intermedia (0.7%, data not shown). When prevalence was re-calculated including only those with self-identified Greek heritage (n = 113), the prevalence of β-thalassemia and intermedia rose to 9.73% and 0.88%, respectively. Conclusion: One of the most concerning gaps uncovered is that there are few sources of educational information (i.e. medical professional, formal education) influencing the knowledge of β-thalassemia in this at-risk population. Self-reported prevalence of β-thalassemia in our cohort is comparable to the national prevalence in Greece (~8%). While The Greek National Prevention Program has been in place since 1974, participants in our cohort responded that “word of mouth” is the main contributing source to their disease understanding. This public health issue is relevant beyond Pennsylvania Greek Americans. In 2017, the global number of refugees reached an all-time high of 25.4 million, including people from regions where β-thalassemia is endemic. It has been noted that the prevalence of β-thalassemia is increasing in North America primarily due to migration. Thus, there is an immediate need to identify, to educate with culturally competent methods, and to screen high-risk communities in the United States.

Review of Constellating Home: Trans and Queer Asian American Rhetorics by V. Jo Hsu (The Ohio State University Press)

Constellating Home: Trans and Queer Asian American Rhetorics by V. Jo Hsu examines how queer and trans Asian American (QTAPI) individuals have reshaped the narratives around their belonging in the United States or elsewhere. Hsu recognizes the ways pervasive narratives like the model minority myth have imbued the meaning of Asian American belonging with capitalist, heteronormative, ableist, racist, and patriarchal notions. Exploring oral histories, visual representations, essays, and numerous other forms of rhetoric, Hsu engages in “diasporic listening,” a method that unpacks how QTAPI individuals have wrestled with these pervasive narratives and found ways of redefining their belonging. By focusing on the stories of trans, nonbinary, disabled, and other minoritized groups within the Asian American diaspora, Hsu shows how these diverse and individual stories contribute more robust meaning around being and belonging as an Asian American.

Technologies in Migration Processes: Mediation in Communication and Social Capital

Aim. This article presents an ethnographic exploration of technology use among migrants. The main question explored is how migration processes are mediated by communication between migrants and their support network, considering the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).&#x0D; Methods. Multi-situated and virtual ethnography have allowed researchers to access and obtain relevant discourse on the experiences, perceptions, and strategies of migrants in a non-invasive way.&#x0D; Results. In pre-digital contexts, support networks of friends and family provided sources of information in the development of migration projects. With the spread of technology, Facebook’s virtual communities are a means of facilitating migration strategies. Likewise, ICTs bring migrants and their families closer to the “there”, bolstering their bonding social capital and therefore their emotional well-being. Despite the language barriers, and the stereotypes and prejudices held by native-born residents, virtual social networks allow migrants to strengthen their bridging social capital, facilitating the integration of different Latin American migrant groups in the destination society.&#x0D; Conclusion. Today, ICTs have transformed migration strategies and expanded bonding social capital, allowing migrants to share common interests with their family setting, despite the distance. Limited interaction between migrants and native-born residents restricts bridging social capital, but the virtual sphere allows the Latin American diaspora to pursue common interests and overcome cultural barriers.

Telling Migrant Stories: Latin American Diaspora in Documentary Film ed. by Esteban E. Loustaunau and Lauren E. Shaw (review)

Telling Migrant Stories: Latin American Diaspora in Documentary Film ed. by Esteban E. Loustaunau and Lauren E. Shaw (review)