Incorporation, Transnationalism, and Gender: Immigrant Incorporation and Transnational Participation as Gendered Processes

Abstract

This article analyzes immigrant incorporation and transnational participation as gendered experiences. The results indicate that the incorporation of immigrants is a complex process affected negatively by class and racial exclusion and positively by their knowledge of U. S. society. The analysis also indicates that incorporation and transnational participation are concurrent and intertwined processes. Our results show that gender matters in the analysis of immigrant incorporation. The experiences of immigrant men and women share a lot in common as they confront similar challenges, but are also affected differently by the most relevant factors in the process of incorporation and transnational participation.

The Strength of Native Ties: Social Networks of Finnish Immigrants in Estonia

“…Coles andFechter 2008, Fechter 2007) on intracompany transferees, Anna's case illustrated how women living in a kind of MiniFinland in Estonia had integrated into the Finnish community and had a very limited number of social and institutional ties to Estonian society. Despite geographic and cultural similarities, these women perceived a social, ethnic and cultural distance to the locals (Berry et al 2002, Itzigsohn andGiorguli-Saucedo 2005). Because of that, they encountered difficulties in establishing any sort of ties with the locals.…”

“…Thus, immigrants' perceptions of their social, ethnic or cultural distance to the locals directly influence their chosen strategy. People are more attracted to similar than dissimilar others; a low degree of social distance helps to create a feeling of common identity, closeness, and shared experiences (Berry et al 2002, Itzigsohn andGiorguli-Saucedo 2005 ). According to Allport (1954), close, steady, mutual long-term social relations are likely to 1 The term 'acculturation' was first used in the 1930s to refer to the continuous contacts between different ethnic groups, as well as the changes in one or both cultures (Liebkind et al 2004).…”

“…Immigrants with the most intensive social, economic and political ties to their country of origin are often also best integrated, economically engaged and politically active in the host country. However, intense transnational contacts can also indicate negative experiences in the host society (Itzigsohn and Giorguli-Saucedo 2005, Kivisto 2001, Forsander 2001. Here, I study this question by looking at the cross-border contacts of Finnish mothers living in Estonia in relation to their integration.…”

Negotiating a Concurrence: Tracing the Visible/Invisible Relocation within Migrant-Inhabited Cities of China

“…Through the interviews conducted in our study we gain a more vivid sense of the individual experience -of the choices, the obstacles, the prospects, and the accomplishments with both a place of origin and a place of residence, and the fact that transnational activities concordant with this dual identification are feasible as well (Itzigsohn et al 2005). …”

Gendering Illegality: Undocumented Young Adults’ Negotiation of the Family Formation Process

“…In contrast, 1.5 and second generation children of immigrants acculturate to U.S.-based middle-class gender schemas (Coltrane, Parke, & Adams, 2004;Segura, 1994;Smith, 2006). Although specific gender schemas may be mediated by class, ethnicity, and sexuality (Carrillo, 2004;Itzigsohn & Giorguli-Saucedo, 2005;Menjívar, 1999) (Glenn, Chang, & Forcey, 1994;Ray, 2008). As such, men expect to plan, drive, and pay for dates and assess self-worth based on their socioeconomic position and ability to provide (Eaton & Rose, 2011;Townsend, 2002).…”