Immigrant Incorporation Research Articles

Immigrant Incorporation in East Asian Democracies

Immigrant Incorporation in East Asian Democracies

Beyond Diaspora: Ambedkarism, Multiculturalism and Caste in the UK

Based on the accounts of Dalit immigrants from Punjab who settled in the UK in the 1960s, this essay sheds light on the UK Ambedkarite movement’s political trajectory. How did the Anticaste philosophy of political emancipation retain its significance in the context of migration? Beyond the diasporic model of engagement that views the immigrants’ political interests as necessarily oriented towards the homeland, Ambedkarism negotiated and transgressed the boundaries of UK multiculturalism, as a differential, ethnic and religious-based model of political incorporation of South Asian immigrants. After initially supporting the RPI agitations in Punjab, Ambedkarites started gaining autonomy by working towards the official recognition of Ambedkar in the UK. More recently, while some of them worked towards a Buddhist revival in Punjab, others launched a campaign against caste discrimination in British Indian localities. Thanks to the latter, UK Ambedkarism emerged as a critical voice in the public debate on Multiculturalism, distinguishing itself from Dalit sectarian movements whose religious assertion in the multicultural context proved unable to check the rise of casteism in these localities. I therefore argue that although speaking from the margins, Ambedkarism managed to make a place for itself in the British public debate as a distinctive and significant political voice.

Familism among Latino/a adolescents: Evidence from time‐use data

AbstractObjectiveThis study examined differences in time with family among Latino/a, White, and Black youth and variation among Latino/a youth by gender and immigrant household status.BackgroundFamilismo and differences in socio‐structural characteristics suggest that Latino/a youth will spend more time with family than White and Black peers. Gender socialization norms, especially marianismo, could also promote family time for Latina girls. Finally, theories of immigrant incorporation suggest that Latino/a family time will be highest in immigrant households.MethodThis study used the nationally representative American Time Use Survey (2003–2019) to analyze household family contact patterns among Latino/a, White, and Black youth (ages 15–18; n = 9501). The study further examined differences by gender and, among Latinos/as, by immigrant household status.ResultsLatino/a youth spent more time with siblings than White and Black peers due to a higher number of siblings in the household. Latina girls spent substantially more unadjusted and adjusted time with parents and siblings than White and Black girls and Latino boys. There was little variation in family time patterns among Latinos/as by gender‐by‐immigrant household status.ConclusionFamily contact patterns suggest that both familismo and marianismo are salient in the lives of Latino/a youth, which has key implications for these youths' lives and transitions to adulthood.

How Many Immigrant-Friendly Communities Are in the United States? Classifying the Policy Stream

Abstract Dramatic federal immigration policy proposals and executive actions appear to be a reaction to state and local governments that have taken leadership in responding to immigration. Some local governments have endorsed welcoming immigrants to stabilize high-poverty urban neighborhoods and to enhance regional economic development. Others embrace immigrant incorporation consistent with the social work grand challenge to achieve equal opportunity and justice. This research estimates the number of immigrant-friendly cities and counties in the United States. To generate this estimate, authors prepared a local government policy scan of all municipalities and counties in the United States with a population of more than 500 persons to identify policies designed to recruit or specifically serve immigrants. Authors also categorized these immigrant-friendly policies on a continuum ranging from rhetoric to outreach, integration, and facilitation. Only 7% of cities and 6% of counties were found to have immigrant-friendly policy. However, when taking population into account, nearly half of all people in the municipal sample live in a place with an immigrant-friendly policy. Article concludes with the discussion of the implications for social policy and social work practice.

Acculturation as an Instrument for Minimalization of Security Risks resulting From Immigration

The paper focuses on various concepts deepening the term of „security“, on the Copenhagen school concept of societal sector of security, but also human security and the application of the acculturation theory. Human security is a concept, in which the deepening of contents of the term „security“ goes from a macro-level to a micro-level. The traditional concept of security takes into account only the state level and understands threats only to the state in itself, whereas human security redirects the attention towards the individual people. Societal sector, on the other hand, speaks of non-military threats to society and deepens the security concept even further. Based on the assumption, that the extent of risks to the receiving state depends on the effectiveness of incorporation of immigrants, the goal of the article is to apply the acculturation to the process of incorporation of immigrants into the majority population in order to minimize the negative impacts stemming from immigration.

Africans in Guangzhou: Is the ethnic enclave model applicable in the Chinese context?

In the literature on the incorporation of immigrants, ethnic enclaves are described as residential spatial concentrations fulfilling several economic and social functions for its residents. This paper questions whether this model is applicable for understanding the African concentration in China. Based on fieldwork in 2012 and 2016, this paper tries to give an overview of the changing dispersal patterns of Africans in Guangzhou and to explain how the new African clusters are connected to the areas where African businesses are concentrated. The initial African clusters may have lost their dominant role in the housing of African migrants, yet they are the focal point of the African communities in Guangzhou, as both commercial and leisure activities remain concentrated here. We argue that while there is no enclave (anymore) in the sense of a contingent area where Africans constitute a big part of the population, the African clusters still fulfils some functions that are associated with an ethnic enclave. However, the obstacles that the Chinese authorities put in the way of obtaining a long-term residence permit make it highly unlikely that African clusters in Guangzhou will develop into the type of ethnic enclaves that are described in the Anglo-Saxon literature.

Memories of Migration

Based on key concepts of memory studies, this article investigates how immigration is remembered in two different societies: the United Kingdom and Germany. Starting from the assumption that social remembering has the potential to encourage the integration of migrants, we analyze in several case studies how civil society organizations and government actors remember historical immigration processes and how the immigrant past is reflected in popular culture. Our analysis shows that both countries have several factors in common with regard to the role of immigration in collective memory. A common feature is the marginal status accorded to migration and, when it is remembered, the highly restricted role offered to immigrants. However, our studies also reveal that memory can become an important mode for the integration of migrants if it is used as a form of political activism and if organizations proactively use the past to make demands for the incorporation of immigrants.

Immigrants and the politics of belonging: Learning in the shadows

AbstractIn the United States, issues facing immigrants are fundamentally intertwined with racial justice. Through a critical, human‐rights perspective, we examine how immigrants engage with adult learning, paying particular attention to the history of immigration and policy as it frames lives often described as lived “in the shadows.” Challenges facing immigrants vary by country of origin and motivation for migration, as well as reception to the United States, their White race, and immigration status. We describe educational services and opportunities in adult and higher education for immigrant learners as well as how adult education can support immigrant incorporation. We conclude by discussing the incorporation of nontraditional, critical literacies into adult education curricula to build supportive learning environments not only for immigrant, but all adult learners.

Not a Country or a Stereotype: Latina LDS Experiences of Ethnic Homogenization and Racial Tokenism in the American West

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), also called Mormonism, has experienced rapid changes in its US demographics due to an influx of Latinx membership. The most recent growth in the US church body has been within Spanish-speaking congregations, and many of these congregant members are first or 1.5-generation immigrant Latinas. Using ethnographic data from 27 interviews with immigrant members living in Utah, Nevada, and California, LDS Latinas reported that while US Anglo members did seem to appreciate certain aspects of their cultural customs or practices, they also reported frequently experiencing ethnic homogenization or racial tokenization within US Church spaces and with White family members. Our findings indicate that the contemporary LDS church, despite some progressive policy implementations within its doctrinal parameters, still struggles in its ever-globalizing state to prioritize exposing White US members to the cultural heterogeneity of non-White, global LDS identities and perspectives. Latina LDS experiences and their religious adjacency to Whiteness provide a useful lens by which researchers can better understand the ways in which ethnic identity, gender, legal status, and language create both opportunities and challenges for immigrant incorporation and inclusion within US religious spaces and add to the existing body of scholarship on migration and religion.

New Destinations and the Changing Geography of Immigrant Incorporation.

While nearly three decades of "new immigrant destination" research has vastly enriched our understanding of diversity in contexts of reception within the United States, there is a striking lack of consensus as to the implications of geographic dispersion for immigrant incorporation. We review the literature on new destinations as they relate to ongoing debates regarding spatial assimilation and segmented assimilation; the influence of co-ethnic communities on immigrant incorporation; and the extent to which growth in immigrant populations stimulates perceived threat, nativism, and reactive ethnicity. In each of these areas, the sheer diversity of new destinations undermines consensus about their impact. Coupled with the continuous evolution in immigrant destinations over time, most dramatically but not limited to the impact of the Great Recession, we argue for the need to move beyond the general concept of "new destinations" and focus more directly on identifying the precise mechanisms through which the local context of reception shapes immigrant incorporation, where the historical presence of co-ethnic communities is but one of many dimensions considered, together with other labor, housing, and educational structures.

Political Incorporation, Interrupted? The Effects of Loss and Distress Following the 2016 U.S. Elections on the Civic Attitudes and Involvement of Latino Immigrants

The wellbeing of democracy depends on “losers’ consent,” i.e., unsuccessful electoral coalitions accepting defeat. Yet for some, disappointing losses after an election and ensuing distress under the new administration may lead to an erosion of political trust, efficacy, and engagement in public affairs. The election of Donald Trump in 2016 posed such a possibility for Latino immigrants, given Trump’s combative anti-immigrant stances. Drawing from a three-wave panel survey of foreign-born Latinos, this “civic erosion” hypothesis is examined. Results indicate that post-election losses and worries about the wellbeing of friends and family led to a decline in political trust and efficacy. However, there was no corresponding drop in interpersonal trust; nor did these concerns prompt immigrants to consider leaving the U.S. Furthermore, immigrants who backed an unsuccessful presidential candidate or were worried about risks to family members and friends under the Trump administration were significantly more likely to take part in marches and demonstrations. Such resilience and engagement bode well for the continued incorporation of immigrants into American civic life.

Obstáculos de incorporación educativa de migrantes retornados al Estado de México y Nuevo León

Este trabajo tiene por objetivo indagar en los obstáculos de la incorporación educativa de los inmigrantes mexiquenses y neoleoneses retornados desde el extranjero. Se sostiene que las características sociodemográficas, socioeconómicas, de vivienda y el contexto geográfico de los estados de México y Nuevo León son determinantes para estar inscritos, o no, al sistema educativo de ambas entidades federativas, para ello usamos el enfoque teórico de la sociología económica de la incorporación y modelos de regresión logística. Se verificó el peso de los diferentes factores que obstruyen o facilitan la incorporación educativa de los migrantes de retorno. Se utilizará como fuente de información la Encuesta Intercensal del Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (Inegi) de 2015.

Toward a Du Boisian Framework of Immigrant Incorporation: Racialized Contexts, Relational Identities, and Muslim American Collective Action

AbstractAnswering longstanding questions about the relationship between immigrant identity, collective action, and societal incorporation requires a dynamic theory that integrates these micro, meso, and macro levels of analysis. I propose a Du Boisian framework of immigrant incorporation that centers immigrants’ subjectivities, accounting for variation in immigrants’ perceptions of their relational social positions and subsequent strategies for shifting these positions. In this conceptualization of collective identity and collective action, macro-contexts enable and constrain collective identities through the process of ethnoracial formation, but immigrants negotiate competing perceptions of these identities and the political context, shaping divergent strategies to negotiate group position. I illustrate this framework by drawing on focus groups with Muslim American immigrants, identifying three central couplings of perceived identity and collective action strategy: 1) a perception of an integrating, “model citizen” collective identity that is aspirationally white, shaping assimilationist strategies for incorporation; 2) a perception of temporarily stigmatized identity with corresponding “identity-improvement” strategies for incorporation; and 3) a perception of racialized identity that rejects aspirational whiteness coupled with coalition-building with Black and Brown communities to target racialized systems altogether. Following Du Bois’ legacy, this framework expands our understanding of the dialectic between macro-contexts and micro-dynamics in immigrant incorporation and builds upon growing research that questions whether the quest for societal inclusion is necessarily a process of integration into the dominant category.

Between integration and repatriation – frontline experiences of how conflicting immigrant integration policies hamper the integration of young refugees in Denmark

ABSTRACT Confronted with global migration pressures, European countries face the dual challenges of border control and the incorporation of immigrants into society. Danish immigration and integration policies aim to restrict the influx of refugees and to develop newcomers’ sense of civic responsibility. We analyse 2017 policy problematisations and local integration policy workers’ experiences with integrating young, newly arrived refugees under the mandatory municipal integration programme. We find that these policies lead to paradoxical effects when integration goals interact with immigration laws that create precarious temporary living conditions. Moreover, when integration is problematised as an exclusive problem of refugees’ employability and prompt economic self-sufficiency. The policy problematisations neglect the needs of young refugees by overlooking critical aspects of social and cultural integration and obscuring the possibilities for individually tailored services, which, from frontline integration workers’ perspective, are necessary to realise young refugees’ integration.

Race, Legal Status & Social Mobility

Abstract In this essay, we review what is known about the role of race and legal status in the incorporation of immigrants in twenty-first-century America. While race and ethnicity matter in the social mobility of immigrants, racialization is not the impassable stumbling block critical race theory predicts. The research paints a remarkably consistent picture of intergenerational socioeconomic progress, one that is very similar to what happened with immigrants from Europe a century ago. This mobility is accelerated for Asians and Blacks, but slower among Latinxs. Legal status is increasingly a block to integration and affects both undocumented immigrants and their citizen children. While race and legal status intersect, we conclude that legal status is now playing a relatively autonomous role in limiting the life chances of many immigrants. We raise the alarm about not only the direct effects of legal status, but its increasing role in racializing and excluding Latinx Americans.

Forced migrants and secure belonging: a case study of Syrian refugees resettled in the United States

ABSTRACT For forced migrants, what does it mean to belong in a new place? Drawing on twelve months of participant observation and twenty-two interviews with six Syrian refugee families resettled in the south-eastern United States, I find that participants identify security as a central dimension and mechanism of belonging. I introduce the concept of ‘secure belonging’ to theorise the freedom from physical danger, fear and anxiety that is central to participants’ belonging in a new place. Mechanisms of linguistic and cultural security, financial security and legal security strengthen participants’ civic, social and emotional attachments, while insecurity causes their sense of belonging to waver. By situating security as a central dimension of belonging and examining mechanisms of security for processes of belonging, this paper furthers our theoretical understanding of belonging’s multidimensionality, situational and subjective nature and variation by gender and life course stage. The introduction of the concept of secure belonging builds upon existing literature on security, belonging and migration, explores a new dimension and mechanisms of existing analytical frameworks and emphasises the centrality of security in the immigrant incorporation process.

The Contradictions of Liminal Legality: Economic Attainment and Civic Engagement of Central American Immigrants on Temporary Protected Status.

This study examines how Temporary Protected Status (TPS) may shape immigrants' integration trajectories. Building on core themes identified in the immigrant incorporation scholarship, it investigates whether associations of educational attainment with labor market outcomes and with civic participation, which are well established in the general population, hold for immigrants who live in the "liminal legality" of TPS. Conducted in 2016 in five U.S. metropolitan areas, the study is based on a unique survey of Salvadoran and Honduran TPS holders, the majority of immigrants on this status. The analyses find that TPS holders with higher levels of educational attainment do not derive commensurate significant occupational or earnings premiums from their education. In contrast, the analysis of the relationship between educational attainment and civic engagement detects a positive association: more educated TPS holders are more likely to be members of community organizations and to participate in voluntary community service, compared to their less educated counterparts. These findings illustrate the contradictions inherent to TPS as it may hinder certain aspects of immigrant integration but not others. This examination contributes to our understanding of the implications of immigrants' legal statuses and of immigration law and policy for key aspects of immigrant integration trajectories.

Measures and Their Countermeasures: Reflexivity and Second‐Order Reactivity in Quantifying Immigrant Integration

Sociology is inherently reflexive. It deals with actors who themselves are constantly engaged in sociological reasoning. Concepts from academic sociology are thus prone to enter and affect the very dynamics they describe. The sociology of quantification is particularly attuned to such paradoxical effects of “reactivity,” that is, measurements and categories altering observed realities. The article builds on these insights but extends them by adding one more iteration of reflexivity. Examining administrative integration departments in Germany that have implemented statistical indicators for measuring immigrant incorporation, it attends to a case where bureaucrats are themselves anticipating “reactivity” of the measurements they use. Integration officers fear that integration indicators may inadvertently reify and stigmatize the statistical category of first‐ to third‐generation immigrants, or “persons with a migration background.” Consequently, they engage in various counterstrategies to offset such effects. Most notably, they launch a counter‐campaign against negative connotations of migration background that their own measurements are reinforcing as they frame migration background as an asset for society. The article argues that this is an example of second‐order reactivity, a phenomenon as yet neglected in the literature: Officers alter reality in reaction to an anticipated reactivity of their own integration statistics.

Labour market incorporation of immigrant women in South Africa: Impacts of human capital and family structure

This paper examines the labour market incorporation of African-born immigrant women in South Africa using data from the 2011 Census. It investigates women’s labour force participation, employment prospects, and access to formal employment, assessing how human capital and household factors explain labour market decisions. Results underscore significant challenges to immigrant incorporation in South Africa. Not only are immigrants less likely to participate in the labour force than black South African women, but for those who participate, employment levels are lower. Although immigrants have an employment edge over South Africans once individual and household factors are held constant, immigrants are over-represented in informal jobs. Returns to human capital are also lower among foreign- than South-African–born women. Together, these results suggest a segmented pattern of incorporation for immigrant women in South Africa. Results by national origin emphasize the importance of egalitarianism and co-ethnic community characteristics in structuring women’s labour force participation.

Competing contexts of reception in refugee and immigrant incorporation: Vietnamese in West and East Germany

ABSTRACT Scholars have long recognised the importance of contexts of reception in shaping the integration of immigrants and refugees in a host society. Studies of refugees, in particular, have examined groups where the different dimensions of reception (government, labour market, and ethnic community) have been largely positive. How important is this merging of positive contexts across dimensions of reception? We address this through a comparative study of Vietnamese refugees to West Germany beginning in 1979 and contract workers to East Germany beginning in 1980. These two migration streams converged when Germany reunified in 1990. Drawing on mixed qualitative methods, this paper offers a strategic case for understanding factors that shape the resettlement experiences of Vietnamese refugees and immigrants in Germany. By comparing two migration streams from the same country of origin, but with different backgrounds and contexts of reception, we suggest that ethnic networks may, in time, offset the disadvantages of a negative government reception.