Agency of English-Speaking Migrant Women during the Pandemic in Israel

Proculturation shaped by social representations of academic migrants from Italy to the United States

“…It seems that in the light of linking the dimensions of the Perceived Stress Scale to the proculturation framework, the respondents in general succeeded in juggling multiple I-positions as academic migrants in transnational families, able to negotiate the meaning of who they are in a coherent yet complex self-concept. Furthermore, this study was carried out shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic noted in proculturation research as a major source of stress for migrants ( Dryjanska et al, 2021 ; Correia and Watkins, 2023 ). Having dealt with the uncertainty of the unknown by remaining or even excelling in their position in academia in the United States might have brought a sense of satisfaction that stems from successfully facing challenges circumstances, which is also inherent to the proculturation dynamics.…”

“…It is an extension of research conducted with Jewish participants who migrated to Israel from English-speaking countries ( Zlotnick et al, 2020 ; Dryjanska et al, 2021 ) and participants who migrated to the United States from Spanish-speaking countries ( Dryjanska and Zlotnick, 2021 ). The survey has been selected given the link between the proculturation framework of transnational families used in original studies (especially Dryjanska et al, 2021 ) that provided the theoretical foundation for the methodology applied in this sample. The adaptation to the target consisted of ensuring the appropriateness of questions by consulting with two members of the population of Italian academic migrants in the United States.…”

“…During the complex, dynamic, and ongoing process of proculturation, individual characteristics as well as the context interplay in a local and global scenario, for example including such worldwide phenomena as the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic ( Correia and Watkins, 2023 ). A study of proculturation of migrant women in Israel highlighted the role of pandemic-related stress and protective factors related to identity negotiation ( Dryjanska et al, 2021 ). Various roles that a person from a transnational family plays in life (for example identifying as a father and as a researcher) are dynamically relational, quite frequently involving a tension between societal and personal forces ( Impedovo, 2020 ).…”