Elizabeth Aranda
Elizabeth Vaquera
Elena Sabogal
Abstract
For decades scholars and policy makers have equated successful immigrant incorporation
with assimilation to the dominant white, American middle-class culture. Research
on transnational immigrants (those whose patterns of living transcend the boundaries
of any one nation) has called into question the use of assimilation theory to describe
contemporary immigrant incorporation. Research on the children of immigrants has
gone further to suggest that assimilation compromises immigrant psychological and
physical health.
Using random survey methods, this research proposes to investigate the modes of
incorporation of recent, post-1986, Latin American immigrants in South Florida.
With the Institute for Public Opinion Research (IPOR) at Florida International University,
a phone survey will be conducted with a sample of 1200 immigrants to examine to
what extent (if any) immigrant integration has taken on a transnational character,
meaning that immigrants both assimilate to some aspects of American culture while
continuing to be involved in their home countries. We also will examine whether
there are links between particular modes of integration (e.g. bi-national integration
versus other forms of assimilation such as segmented assimilation and selective
acculturation) and immigrants’ subjective assessment of their well-being. Given
the increase in the numbers of immigrants coming to the United States and the growing
diversity in terms of their social origins, it is important to examine the extent
of continued involvement in their home societies and whether such involvement, 1)
deters or encourages integration to U.S. society; and, 2) if a particular mode of
incorporation ameliorates the adverse impact of U.S. struggles documented by previous
researchers who have argued that assimilation jeopardizes the health of immigrants.
Broader Impacts: The researchers aim to use this project as an educational tool
for undergraduate and graduate students at the University of South Florida and William
Paterson University. The data will be integrated into the researchers’ courses to
expand students’ methodological skills as well as their understandings of immigration
as a substantive area of study in Sociology. The data collected from this project
will be made available to undergraduate and graduate students at USF and WPU for
use in theses and dissertations. Moreover, the project increases the participation
of historically underrepresented groups in research (all three of the researchers
are Hispanic/Latina [im]migrants).
The study’s findings will shed new light on how new immigrants are integrating into
already established immigrant communities and what particular modes of integration
most enhance immigrant subjective well-being. These findings have policy implications,
particularly as immigration continues to be a highly contested topic for legislative
debate. As such, the study’s outcomes will be disseminated by publishing in interdisciplinary
journals accessible to wide audiences.
