Theoretical, Methodological, and Ethical Challenges to the Study of Immigrants: Perils and Possibilities

Abstract

Research on immigrant communities has often been reductionist, stereotypical, and simplistic, and even the most well-intentioned researchers are susceptible to using cultural deficit models. This chapter critically evaluates some of the dominant tensions and problem areas with respect to researching immigrant communities. Specifically, we analyze three primary challenges that researchers encounter: the heterogeneity of immigrant lives, adequate representations of immigrant communities, and researcher privilege. In addition to identifying these unique theoretical, methodological, and ethical concerns, we draw from critical theory, feminist scholarship, and cultural psychology to provide an interdisciplinary solution. For researchers investigating immigrant communities, we advocate the following: (a) grounding of intersectional frameworks; (b) reliance on a risk and resilience framework; (c) phenomenological understanding of immigrants' everyday lives; (d) inclusion of immigrant participants' voices; and (e) cultivation of negative capability. Finally, we briefly review selected studies that address three recurring challenges that researchers face and heed our five recommendations.

Parent–Adolescent Conflict, Family Cohesion, and Self‐Esteem Among Hispanic Adolescents in Immigrant Families: A Comparative Analysis

“…Similarly, resilience frameworks call for enhancing youth development in the face of risk factors (Zimmerman, 2013;Zolkoski & Bullock, 2012) by identifying protective factors and focusing on strengths as much as Family Relations 64 (December 2015): 579-591 deficits (Masten, 2011). For Hispanics, an emphasis on resilience is an important alternative to cultural deficit models, which tend to focus on stressors that are exacerbated by immigrant status, such as discrimination and poverty (Mahalingam & Rabelo, 2013;Suárez-Orozco, 2007). Family cohesion is believed to be a particularly salient component of a resilience framework relevant to Hispanic adolescents.…”

Ethical Ambiguities in Participatory Action Research With Unauthorized Migrants

“…Second, PAR values participant agency and autonomy as more than simply providing consent. Third PAR attempts to go beyond "do no harm" to actively promote an ethical understanding of participants as beneficiaries in the research about their lives Mahalingam & Rabelo, 2013;Pittaway, Bartolomei, & Hugman, 2010). Specific PAR methods used in the MHRP include semistructured interviews and a survey with U.S.-based Latino migrant families; semistructured and in-depth interviews, a communitywide census of families in selected villages and a town in El Quiché, Guatemala; participatory 24 BRABECK ET AL.…”

“…A common human reaction in the face of human distress and social injustice is the inclination to challenge and respond to these inequities, particularly when one has access to privileges, power, and resources vis-à-vis another (Keltner, Marsh, & Smith, 2010;Mahalingam & Rabelo, 2013). Some argue that engaged scholarship for social justice (e.g., documenting the detrimental effects of policies on individuals, families, and communities) must come from an ethical position (Hernández, Nguyen, Casanova et al, 2013).…”

“…PAR is posited as an appropriate and ethical methodology for research with vulnerable populations including unauthorized migrants (Mahalingam & Rabelo, 2013). First, it explicitly acknowledges that there are inevitable power imbalances between outsider researchers and community participants.…”

Participation & (Re)settlement : envisioning mobile services with young forced migrants

“…Existing ethical recommendations from projects specifically related to carrying out research with migrants (Mahalingam and Rabelo, 2013;Hernandez et al, 2013;Nguyen et al, 2013), as well as from HCI research ethics in general (Lazar et al, 2010)) are relevant to the current case study. Both sets of recommendations highlight the importance of generating safe processes where informed consent procedures are implemented, along with abundant communication about the case study itself.…”