At the core and in the margins
Subtitle: incorporation of Mexican immigrants in two rural Midwestern communities
By: Julia Albarracín
Series: Latinos in the United States series; Latinos in the United States series
Publisher: Michigan State University Press
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 175
ISBN-13: 9781611862065
Subjects: Statistics; Cultural assimilation; Immigrants; Ethnic relations; Mexican Americans; Social conditions; Rural conditions; Interviews; Social surveys
Description: "Beardstown and Monmouth, Illinois, two rural Midwestern towns, have been transformed by immigration in the last three decades. This book examines how Mexican immigrants who have made these towns their homes have integrated legally, culturally, and institutionally. What accounts for the massive growth in the Mexican immigrant populations in these two small towns, and what does the future hold for them? Based on 260 surveys and 47 in-depth interviews, this study combines quantitative and qualitative research to explore the level and characteristics of immigrant incorporation in Beardstown and Monmouth. It assesses the advancement of immigrants in the immigration/ residency/citizenship process, the immigrants' level of cultural integration (via language, their connectedness with other members of society, and their relationships with neighbors), the degree and characteristics of discrimination against immigrants in these two towns, and the extent to which immigrants participate in different social and political activities and trust government institutions. Immigrants in new destinations are likely to be poorer, to be less educated, and to have weaker English-language skills than immigrants in traditional destinations. Studying how this population negotiates the obstacles to and opportunities for incorporation is crucial"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 143-166) and index.
Table of contents: title: The Cases of Beardstown and Monmouth, Illinois; title: Becoming Citizens?; title: The Culture of Incorporation : Language Use, Identity, and Social Connectedness; title: The Context of Reception : Discrimination and Acceptance; title: The Politics of Incorporation : Participation; title: More on Political Incorporation : Trust in Government Institutions; title: Concluding Remarks; title: Appendix: Survey Instrument.