Contexts Of Exit Research Articles

Human rights in countries of origin and the mental health of migrants to Canada.

This study explores the effect of human rights violations in countries of origin on migrants' mental health, using archival data on human rights violations from 1970-2011, merged to a representative probability sample of 2412 adults living in a large Canadian metropolitan area. The context of exit is defined at the country level, as opposed to self-reported individual experiences of trauma. While most studies start from a question about direct exposure to human rights violations, they may miss the effect of the national-level social context - threat, instability, disruption of lives, and uncertainty - on mental health. Findings indicate that high levels of human rights violations in countries of origin have long-term effects on migrants’ mental health. The impact of human rights violations is substantially explained by the combined effect of stressors both before and after migration, suggesting a cumulative process of stress proliferation following this context of exit.

Localizing ethnic entrepreneurship: “Chinese” chips shops in Belgium, “traditional” food culture, and transnational migration in Europe

ABSTRACTThis article explores the causes, dynamics, and theoretical implications of the “localization” of ethnic entrepreneurship through “traditional” food businesses in Europe. Based on fieldwork conducted in 2014 and 2017, it analyses the emergence of “Chinese” chips shops in the Flemish province of Antwerp, Belgium. Highlighting the history of Chinese migration to Europe, it argues that a specific set of “contexts of exit” and “contexts of reception” explain this development. Important among these are Dutch language skills and long-term residence or citizenship in the Netherlands and Belgium, market saturation, and the global financial crisis of 2007–2008. The article posits that these Chinese entrepreneurs are neither “enclave entrepreneurs” nor a “middleman minority”: entering a “traditional” food sector, they must leverage on their “integration capital”. However, with this, they also become entangled in Belgian gastronationalism and gastropolitics. Finally, this “localization” also has a transnational dimension as many of these entrepreneurs re-migrated from the Netherlands.

How family, immigrant group, and school contexts shape ethnic educational disparities

ABSTRACTScholars have long questioned why average educational attainments among children of immigrants vary greatly by country of origin. Immigrants’ children from the same country share similar contexts of exit and reception and often similar school and family contexts. What is the relative importance of these factors in explaining ethnic differences in educational attainment? Using cross-classified multi-level models, this study shows that family contexts and immigrant group educational selectivity, but not school contexts, help explain ethnic differences. Immigrant selectivity is more decisive in shaping the second-generation’s educational attainment than other group characteristics related to immigrants’ contexts of exit and reception. While school socioeconomic status (SES) only influences the attainment of immigrants’ children from high-SES families, immigrant group selectivity matters regardless of the SES of the family or school, thus shedding light on why members of some national-origin groups tend to complete more education than others despite similar family and school contexts.

Potential predictors of diaspora tourism for Ukrainian immigrants in the USA

Relocation challenges for immigrants in the USA include identity disruption, culture shock and social demotion – all precipitating psychological issues leading to depression, anxiety and alcoholism. Therapy and social support are well-documented remedies, yet leisure holds immense potential for alleviating these psychological issues as well. While scholars propose that one type of leisure, namely travel to the country of origin (i.e., diaspora tourism), may lead to positive effects, predictors of diaspora tourism engagement have been documented with varying success. One of the more overlooked groups is Ukrainians in the USA, especially first-generation recent immigrants. In this study, we draw on theories of self-construal, media use, context of exit and entry and destination image to explore factors motivating these immigrants to travel to their ethnic homeland. Findings suggest that self-construals of these immigrants challenge the results of existing research: older immigrants are less likely to travel home and a different set of destination image items matter for immigrants compared to a general tourist population. Implications for theory and practice are presented.

Portuguese Diaspora: Life Stories / Documentaries

The return is a change that is configured at various levels - relationships , routines , roles - and can interfere with the self - concept and the concept that individuals have about the other . (Schlossberg , Waters & Goodman , 1995).The mobility in this case the return is a transition and / or a crisis in that the individual initiates an adaptation process . This process is influenced by several variables , including the subjective perception regarding the event and the different characteristics of the contexts of exit and reception and the characteristics of the actors in this event. (Pine and Ferreira , 2002; Evans & Forney , Guido DiBrito , 1998). If migrations occur regularly , this process can not interferewithf the return movement of the Portuguese diaspora since decolonization that constituted for the Portuguese a transition not expected and , but configuring contexts breakthrough.The intention is to understand the contexts of life of the people involved in the process ( rupture, integration , opportunities , etc. ) through the documentaries made for the purpose. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n22p533

“This Should Not Be Happening in This Country”: Private‐Life Violence and Immigration Intersections in a U.S. Gateway City

In the United States, the rise in ethnic diversity due to immigration in recent decades has been most visible in new “gateway” cities and towns, such as the Baltimore–Washington, D.C. corridor, now the fourth‐largest gateway for new immigration. Among the more grave issues that immigrant women face in these gateways and elsewhere is the experience of intimate partner violence. This article reports on a study using qualitative methods to document the problem, approaches, and challenges in the rapidly diversifying city of Baltimore, Maryland. We report on individual and focus‐group interviews with professionals in 10 agencies who work directly with the Baltimore populations. Drawing on intersectionality theory, we propose a conceptual framework that disaggregates the location of “immigration” into four components: contexts of exit, contexts of reception, racial and class hierarchies, and culture. The study's results problematize cultural essentialist models and raise questions about current U.S. legal systems regarding immigration.

A Gendered Perspective on the Arrival and Settlement of Colombian Refugees in the United Kingdom

Colombia has a long history of political violence which, in recent decades, has been exacerbated by other types of violence related to the illegal drugs trade and growing socio-economic inequalities. As a result, large sectors of the Colombian population have been displaced internally or abroad. Despite this, little is known about Colombian refugees, especially those coming to Europe. This article seeks to partly remedy this by analysing the experiences of Colombian refugees living in London from a gendered perspective, based on qualitative fieldwork carried out between 2003 and 2007. First, it shows that these migration flows are remarkably heterogeneous and include threatened political activists in search of refuge, and asylum-seekers and others escaping insecurity and more-generalised violence, thus differing from more-traditional Latin American refugee movements to Europe. Secondly, it focuses on how gender, contexts of exit and arrival, class, type of refugee migration and life course, combine to frame the migration experiences of refugees in industrialised countries.

Portrayals ofColombian andVenezuelan Immigrant Organisations in theUnitedStates

This article compares the public images of Colombian and Venezuelan immigrant organisations in the United States. Immigrant organisations' webpages and the expression of their main aims and goals serve to identify their major concerns as they create public images not only for the organisation but for the immigrant community itself. To interpret the immigrant organisations' public images and their goals, we offer a multilevel study that considers immigrants' contexts of exit, which are related to the motivation of migrate and the particular sociodemographic makeup of immigrant groups. This paper adds the Venezuelan immigrant experience to the literature on immigrant organisations.

Intermarriage Attitudes Among Minority and Majority Groups in Western Europe: The Role of Attachment to the Religious In‐Group

AbstractThe key question of this paper is whether social integration, both for minority (migrants) and majority groups (natives) in Western Europe, varies across contexts of exit (ethnic origins) and contexts of reception (Western European countries); and if so, how does religious identity and practice serve to mediate these contextual differences? To investigate this question I draw on the international comparative dataset EURISLAM which includes comparisons between Muslim migrants of ex‐Yugoslav, Turkish, Moroccan and Pakistani origin with majority group members of Belgium, Britain, Germany and Switzerland. Social integration is measured through attitudes towards intermarriage across Muslim/non‐Muslim lines. As results show, ethnic groups differ in their probabilities to approve of intermarriage. Especially migrants from the former Yugoslavia encounter a significantly lower approval of intermarriage by natives. However, approval of intermarriage is closely tied to religiosity. Once religiosity is controlled for, all migrant groups become significantly more positive about intermarriage than natives. Following theories on in‐group favouritism and the homophily principle, we find that religious identity among migrants and practice among both natives and migrants are associated with reluctance to intermarry. Policy makers are advised to take note that contextual differences in perceived social integration of immigrant groups could be confounding other factors, including how differences in religiosity affect social integration. Migrants' significantly higher approval of intermarriage after controlling religiosity implies that policy makers may conceivably have to shift attention from migrants to natives and undertake some action in order to enable a greater intercultural understanding.

Contexts of exit in the migration of Russian speakers from the Baltic countries to Ireland

Recently, Ireland has become a major destination for migrants from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Many of these migrants are members of Russian-speaking minorities leaving a context of restrictive citizenship and language laws and varying degrees of ethnic tension. This paper draws on interviews collected in Ireland to examine the role played by the contexts of exit in decisions to migrate among Russian-speaking minorities from the Baltics. The results suggest that Russian speakers from Estonia migrate because of their experiences as minorities, while those from Latvia and Lithuania migrate to escape low wages and irregular employment. This is so despite equally restrictive language and citizenship laws in Estonia and Latvia. I argue that the effect of state policy as a push factor for minority emigration is mediated by other contextual aspects, such as levels of contact, timbre of ethnic relations, and the degree of intersection between economic stratification and ethnicity.

Homeland Interests, Hostland Politics: Politicized Ethnic Identity among Middle Eastern Heritage Groups in the United States

Why do ethnic diasporas in the United States differ in their readiness for political mobilization on behalf of homeland interests? This study develops a tiered model of politicized ethnic identity emphasizing both individual-level traits and group/collective properties. Using Zogby “Culture Polls,” the theory is tested on three Middle Eastern heritage groups in the United States (Jews, Arab Christians, Arab Muslims). Empirical analysis confirms that individuals differ in their readiness for mobilization around Middle East issues based on the strength of ties to the ethnic community and, net of such differences, each group varies based on the contexts of exit and reception it faced at the time of immigration. The findings suggest that studies of diaspora influence on American foreign policy need to take account of the mass base rather than focus exclusively on elite behavior.

Immigrant Transnational Organizations and Development: A Comparative Study

This article explores how ninety Colombian, Dominican, and Mexican transnational immigrant organizations pursue philanthropic projects that aid in the development of their country or community of origin. We find that each nationality's context of exit and reception affects the origin, strength, and character of their organizations. We produce “maps” of the interaction of transnational organizations with each country of origin and conduct multivariate regressions to establish determinants of key organizational characteristics, including their degree of formalization and form of creation. Generally, Colombian organizations assume more middle-class forms, Dominican organizations stem largely from politics in the country of origin, and Mexican organizations are primarily hometown associations with greater involvement of the national state. We observe that regardless of nationality, transnational immigrant organizations' members are older, better-established, and possess above-average levels of education, suggesting that participation in transnational activities and assimilation are not incompatible. The character of proactive activities by each national state are examined. Theoretical implications for immigrant adaptation and community/national development are discussed.

Impact of Permanent Supportive Housing on the Use of Acute Care Health Services by Homeless Adults

Impact of Permanent Supportive Housing on the Use of Acute Care Health Services by Homeless Adults