Consider the different patterns represented in two readings regarding the interaction of people and culture in the modern process of globalization and transnationalism. What would the advantages and disadvantages be to experiencing different types of migration trends as an individual moving from one homeland to another: (1) ethnic enclaves; (2) diaspora; (3) transnationalism (or, as Kearney describes, trans-statism)? How are these patterns different? What are the effects of globalization and transnationalism, according to Kearney, on "core" nations and the services and products they distribute globally? What are the effects of the modern media and migration on how people experience their identity and community?
In the article, Ethnic Enclaves and Cultural Diversity by Guest and Kwong, it discusses the contradictory research that follows the ethnic enclave model applications of the publication on Latin Journey: Cuban and Mexican Immigrants in the United States by Portes and Bach in 1985. Portes and Bach define an ethnic enclave as any immigrant society that may or may not fit with the general population but can succeed internally. According to Portes and Bach's Model of an ethnic enclave has a positive influence in the growth of immigrants that come from Cuba, in the migration of the 1980's. There are four major advantages an individual from Cuba faces when moving from one homeland to another, in this case Miami. The advantages are better paying job opportunities, no language barrier, employment diversity, and upward mobility with the option of being self-employed (Porter and Bach). The opportunity of better paying jobs within the enclave is only possible with the first wave of immigrants from Cuba, who have social and economic capital to succeed in Miami, unlike the poor immigrants from Cuba that come to Miami with nothing. This is a contradicting point that Gilbertson and Gurak encounter in their analysis when comparing the wages of the enclave workers with the primary and secondary workers in Dominican and Columbians in New York City. The disadvantage of an individual to be part of an ethnic enclave is that better paying job opportunities are not always better when working within your own ethnic enclave. Although, there are job opportunities within an enclave that would normally be denied to the immigrants it doesn't always mean that immigrants will find better paying job opportunities. It simply means an individual will find job opportunities when migrating to the US within an enclave. Another disadvantage which Gilbertson and Gurek pointed out is that Dominican and Columbian migrant workers were not able to obtaing health insurance and retirement plans that secondary market workers were eligible for. Zhou and Logan's analysis of the ethnic enclave on Chinese immigrant men does have advantages on their earning potential due to the labor market it creates, the education, and English language ability. Chinese immigrant women in the enclave are at a disadvantage because they don't have the earning potential that men do. In their culture Chinese women are willingly exploited for the benefit of the family. The ideology the men have of women to cook, clean, maintain the house, take care of the children, and at the same time work is what interferes with the success of women in the workforce. The exploitation of women in the labor force and in their own culture maintains the constant struggle that women face even today when dealing with gender discrimination. In the analysis of Zhou and Logan when it relates to wage difference between the enclave and primary and secondary work force is drastically different. In the enclave Chinese immigrants are paid very little as opposed to labor markets outside of enclave. And to this day we have modern ethnic enclives here in California, like Chinatown. Where we see a concentration of immigrants that due to the segragation they endured were able to form based on their wealth and "patron/client relationship" (Guest and Kwong 261). Ethnic enclaves often times resulted from diaspora.
To show the connections between the diaspora and the ethnic enclave I will use the Cuban migration to Miami. The Cuban diaspora was a direct result of the Cuban Revolution in 1959. The first wave of immigrants to the United states were the rich and socially connected. Because to leave Cuba legally it required a lot of money, therefor, only the wealthy were able to migrate to the US, Mexico, and other part of world. The Cuban diaspora connects to the ethnic enclave that began in Miami. Since the first wave of immigrants had capital and often times had entrepreneural ambitions they were able to open the doors for the second wave of Cuban immigrants that were subsequently poor and had nothing. The second wave of immigrants was often times undocumented or a refugee of Cuba. For example, the Cuban immigrants residing in Miami view their "Little Havana" (Guest nd Kwong 263) as a nation in their new homeland. The disadvantage is that it results in "internsification of world-wide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring miles away and vice versa" (Keaarney 548). What this really means is that the social relations of the nations are magnified to the extent that it will effect the cultures within them. For example, the relationship between the US and Cuba was intesified with the Cuban Revolution of 1959; and the flow of Cuban immigrants impacted the local cultures of Miami. The transnationalism of the flow of immigrants, whether they be Cuban, Mexican, Chinese, or Domincan transcends the boundries of their nations; while at the same time the Immigrants maintiain their home nation. This form of transnationalism in nations-state is focused on the cultural and political projects as opposed to the centralized view of globalization which is more abstract, less institutionalized(Kearney 548). This often times creates a form of cultural baggage for the immigrant when they are effected by the US culture change when they first arrive in the US. It's widely understanable when there is a mixture of cultures, since they are trying to assimilate to their new found homeland. The mixture of cultures then creates a debate within the immigrants ethnic communities of a sense of what is good and what is a bad in their culture and in their new found culture. We can see this with the segregations of comminities, like the Chinee for example. The Chinese were segregated from the American communities and forced to live in a form of ghetto, which is now known as Chinatown( Guest and Kwong). This type of segregation led the immigrants to decide what part of their culture they want to have survive and what they want to incorporate with the American culture.
The difference between the ethnic enclaves, diaspora, and transnationalism patterns of migration to the US are that in an ethnic enclave the results will vary depending on the locations, the Immigrants enthnicity, and their social and economic wealth. Also in an ethnic enclave the immigrants are recognizing their new homeland as their nation and not their homeland of origing. For example, Cubans in Miami and their "Lil Havana" As oppsed to the diaspora trend of immigrants which were immigrants who are refugees and migrating illegaly to other nations but staying true to their home nation. A great example of this are the Jews, who were stripped of their homeland, and although they have immigrated through out the world, they all stand together and recognisze their original home nation as their nationality not their new found home land.
No comments:
New comments are not allowed.