Browsing by Subject "Immigrant"
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Item An examination of acculturation, racial identity, perceived discrimination and mental health outcomes among Africans and Afro-Caribbeans in the United States(2016-08) Awosogba, Olufunke Rachael; Cokley, Kevin O. (Kevin O'Neal), 1969-; Awad, Germine; Bentley-Edwards, Keisha; Sanchez, Delida; Foster, KevinIn the realm of multicultural psychology, focusing on within-group differences facilitates to a deeper understanding of cultural constructs (Bernal, Cumba-Avilés, & Rodriguez-Quintana, 2014). Despite expanded research on acculturation, racial identity, and perceived discrimination on mental health outcomes among various racial and ethnic minority groups, the theoretical and empirical literature focusing on Black immigrants (i.e., Afro-Caribbeans, recent Africans, and their descendants) is scant. This study examined a conceptual model that describes the relationships among acculturation, enculturation, racial centrality, perceived discrimination, and mental health outcomes (specifically, anxiety and depression) among Africans and Afro-Caribbeans in the United States. Two hundred African and Afro-Caribbean adults across 25 states and territories in the United States participated in this study. Using Qualitrics, an online enterprise data collection and survey software, participants completed informed consent forms, a demographic questionnaire, the Measurement of Acculturation Strategies for People of African Descent (MASPAD), the Racial Centrality subscale of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI), the Perceived Discrimination Scale (PDS), and the Anxiety and Depression subscales of the Mental Health Inventory (MHI). A path analysis was employed to test the fit of the hypothesized model to the data using three widely used fit indices –comparative fit index (CFI), standardized root-mean-square residual (SRMR), and root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA). Two (CFI and SRMR) out of the three fit indices suggested adequate to good model fit. The hypothesized path model proposed that acculturation and enculturation would directly affect anxiety and depression, and that racial identity and perceived discrimination would explain the relationship between these cultural adaptation and mental health outcomes variables. Path coefficients were examined for significance to address the hypotheses. All paths in the model were significant accept direct paths from acculturation and enculturation to anxiety and depression. Overall, acculturation and enculturation had significant effects on anxiety and depression, only indirectly through racial centrality and perceived discrimination. Implications for findings are discussed.Item DAC Blog 2020-03(2020-03) Borrego, Gilbert; Hackett, AnnahItem Desperately Craving Indian Food: Indian Restaurants, Cultural Commodification, and Diasporic Belonging in Dallas Fort Worth(2021-12) Yagnik, VedaIn this study, I engage with the question what are the functions of Indian restaurants and their food in the South Asian diaspora? In my work, I consider Indian restaurants as cultural-economic sites, operating on the edge of South Asian communities in that they are accessed by both South Asians and non-South Asians. Subsequently, restaurant spaces create a dialogue through food that evokes questions of cultural commodification, socio-cultural hierarchies, and authenticity in recreation. For this study, I chose to blend elements of a rapid ethnography and case study methodologies to qualitatively analyze selected restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Metroplex. By studying restaurants holistically, I critically analyze the creation of value in Indian restaurants by examining the restaurant model of six Indian restaurants owned and operated by three restauranteurs. In the following sections, I conduct an intensive literature review of sources related to the South Asian Diaspora, Food Studies, Cultural Reproduction and Belonging, and Management Studies. Following this, I expand on my usage of the Rapid Ethnographic Assessment methodology and my sources of study, including a description of the restaurant sites and restauranteurs included in this study. The final section is a robust discussion of the study findings, attained through a multi-faceted, interdisciplinary research approach. This section explores the role of Indian restaurants while considering the nuanced realities of food, people, and place in the DFW Metroplex. The purpose of this study is to better understand 1) the function of Indian restaurants as cultural landmarks and 2) the operations of Indian restaurants as centers of production.Item Effects of parent–child intergenerational cultural discrepancies on Korean-American young adults’ psychological well-being, through communication quality, mattering, and autonomy support(2021-05-07) Lee, Yookyung, Ph.D.; Suizzo, Marie-Anne; Falbo, Toni; Schallert, Diane; Keating, Xiaofen; Carlson, CindyKorean-Americans are one of the fastest-growing racial subgroups, representing 0.4% of the total population of the U.S. as of 2019. Many Korean-American immigrant families consist of Korea-raised parents and their 1.5- or second-generation children. Because these families experience both mainstream and heritage cultures, cultural discrepancies may arise between the children and their immigrant parents. The main purpose of this study is to examine the mediating effects of parent–child communication quality, mattering to parents, and parental autonomy support on the relationship between intergenerational cultural discrepancies and psychological well-being, among Korean-American young adults. Participants were recruited through Korean-American communities in the U.S. and participated in this study through an online survey and follow-up one-on-one video interviews. A total of 161 Korean-American young adults between age 18 and 34 (M age = 23.14) were included in the final sample for the survey study, and 10 of the 161 also participated in the follow-up interview study. A mixed methods approach, including several mediation models and interview analysis, was used to test the hypotheses of this study. Key results from the quantitative analyses showed that greater parent–child intergenerational cultural discrepancies affected their lower communication quality, and this lower communication quality subsequently affected lower mattering to parents, but this lower mattering did not affected children’s depressive symptoms (Model 1). Also, greater parent–child intergenerational cultural discrepancies affected both lower parent–child communication quality and less parental autonomy support at the same time, which in turn affected lower levels of young adults’ life satisfaction (Model 2). The qualitative results provide a rich description of specific examples of these effects and possible reasons for the quantitative results. In addition, the participants shared messages to their parents during their adolescence as well as advice for current Korean-American adolescents who may face similar experiences. The results of this study support and extend the findings of previous work linking parent–child intergenerational cultural discrepancies to children’s psychological adjustment in immigrant families, as well as those linking parent–child communication, mattering to parents, and parental autonomy support. Future studies could investigate whether these relationships are different between mother–child and father–child dyads, and whether these results have any Korean-specific characteristics, by comparing them with results from young adults in other ethnic groups.Item Escaleras hacia el exito/Ladders to success : understanding how Latino immigrant parents describe, access, and perceive their role regarding college readiness(2017-12-08) Serrata, Luz del Carmen; Ovando, Martha N., 1954-; Saenz, Victor B.; Cantu, Norma; Cortez, Laura; Somers, PatLatino immigrant youth represent twenty-five percent of the nation’s children; yet remain disproportionately represented in degree attainment. A disconnect between college entrance and completion can be attributed to college readiness gaps between Latino students and Latino parents’ knowledge of college readiness. Literature on Latino parental involvement and immigrant acculturation and adaptation strategies provides a basis for how immigrant parents understand social environments, such as education. However, existing research does not identify how Latino immigrant parents from distinct immigrant generational groups understand college readiness. This study employed a qualitative method of inquiry and a phenomenological approach to determine Latino immigrant parents’ understanding of college readiness. The study included twenty participants (N=20) who identified as first or second-generation Latino immigrant parents of 8th or 9th grade students in a comprehensive middle/high school. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews, document analysis and observations. The research study was guided by three primary inquiries: 1) How do Latino immigrant parents of 8th and/or 9th grade students in a comprehensive middle/high school describe college readiness 2) How do Latino immigrant parents of 8th and/or 9th grade students in a comprehensive middle/high school access college readiness information? 3) What do Latino immigrant parents of 8th and/or 9th grade students in a comprehensive middle/high school perceive to be their role in promoting college readiness opportunities? Findings revealed that although college readiness is multifaceted, participants provided a nuanced understanding of college readiness. Participants described college readiness as: life readiness, academic readiness, career readiness, preparatory programs, and financial readiness. Participants collected college preparatory information by: attending parent meetings, participating in college and career fairs, visiting school personnel, consulting school administrators, tapping informal networks, and leveraging technology. Parents perceived active roles in promoting college readiness as co-pilotos (co-pilots), porristas (pep-squad), pioneros (pathfinders), and socios silenciosos (silent partners). This study agreed with previous research that recognized ways that parents contribute to their children's college preparation. However, the research findings also contribute to limited research regarding parents’ understanding of college readiness and the less traditional roles parents play in advancing college readiness.Item lo que da falta(2017-06-22) Ramirez, Stephanie Concepcion; Lucas, Kristin, 1968-; Mutchler, LeslieThis report is a compilation of fictional short stories, false memories and dreams that chronicle the themes of my work constructed during my two years of studying at the University of Texas at Austin. My work is a visual response to discussions and research about place, personal history and narrative. As an artist, I am interested in how memory can be distorted through narrative and time construct work that validate, transform, contradict or replace a memory.Item Mexican immigrant newcomer students in central Texas : a study of immigrant adaptation(2012-08) Rubio, Brenda 1984-; Valenzuela, Angela; De Lissovoy, NoahThe purpose of the study was to identify the sociocultural and sociopolitical supports and practices that foster or hinder the successful integration of the Mexican immigrant student. The study was centered on the student perspective of their newcomer school in Central Texas. New school models have emerged in an attempt meet the educational needs of immigrant children by providing targeted instruction and concentrated resources to facilitate their successful integration into their new school system and academic success. In order to identify promising practices that positively impact the academic incorporation of newcomer students in Texas, attention was paid to the school discourse, organizational structures, institutional policies and practices, supports through social resources and services, supports through adult-student relationships, school opportunities, and high-expectations. Unfortunately, the Mexican immigrant student was a forgotten majority and found themselves not receiving the adequate support.Item Nabil Yazdani Interview(2021-05-14) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious StudiesThe interview is with Nabil Yazdani, a member of the Austin Baháʼí community’s Spiritual Assembly. Nabil talks about growing up in Suriname and his experience of moving to the United States for college, then settling in Austin. He discusses how tenets of the Baháʼí faith influence his thoughts and actions, and how they guide the work of the Spiritual Assembly. He also speaks about how the Baháʼí community in Austin responded to the pandemic both as its own entity and as part of the broader community.Item Nasriya Witt Interview(2021-06-15) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious StudiesThis interview is with Nasriya Witt, an Indian immigrant, and refugee youth mentor. Nasriya talks about her experiences of living in India, Oman, and Saudia Arabia as a child before moving to the United States. She discusses her acclimation to the US as well as her schooling and fascination with research psychology. Nasriya also describes her current job as a mentor for refugee youth in San Antonio.Item Overcoming language barriers in interventions for immigrant parents of autistic children(2022-04-15) Lim, Wan Han Nataly; O'Reilly, Mark F.; Falcomata, Terry; Hampton, Lauren; Fragale, Christina; Sigafoos, JeffParent training is key to the success of treatment for autistic children and has been demonstrated to not only improve child outcomes but also decrease parental stress. However, language barriers have been identified as a key barrier to immigrant parents’ access to services and contribute to disparate outcomes for autistic children. While matching parents with service providers who speak the same language is ideal, the shortage in bilingual service providers may mean that immigrant parents experience long wait times for linguistically appropriate services. Preliminary evidence suggests that the use of video instruction, with some support from a provider who speaks the same language as the parent, can be used to overcome language barriers in parent training. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of video instruction within an asynchronous, telehealth parent training intervention for increasing autistic children’s daily living skills. An English speaking experimenter delivered the intervention to four Spanish speaking parents with autistic children. The intervention included video instructions and feedback, as well as messages translated using online translation software. Taking into account Hispanic cultural values for personalismo, families also received a weekly, 5-minute phone call from a Spanish-English bilingual experimenter. Experiment 1 used a multiple probe design across two daily living skills and Experiment 2 used a multiple probe design across three families to evaluate the effects of the intervention. Results indicated that fidelity of implementation increased for all four parents and some improvement in children’s daily living skills was observed. The inclusion of qualitative inquiry in the evaluation of social validity revealed certain procedures in Experiment 1 to be socially invalid, leading to modifications which increased the social validity of procedures in Experiment 2. Analysis of qualitative data from Experiment 2 revealed some dissatisfaction with child outcomes. Potential implications for practice and the value of including qualitative methodology in the evaluation of social validity in future research is discussed.Item Pathways to citizenship : the political incorporation of Latino immigrants(2015-05) Corral, Álvaro José; Leal, David L.; Rivera, MichaelThis study explores the determinants of political incorporation of Latino immigrants in the U.S. from multiple perspectives. The objective is to identify the factors that promote political incorporation along a pathway to citizenship--specifically, those that promote naturalization; lead to a speedier citizenship acquisition process; and are associated with greater political participation. Findings show that the effect of transnational political activity on political incorporation varies according to the stage of immigrant integration. In particular, such behaviors have greater effects at the stage of citizenship acquisition. During the citizenship acquisition phase, associational ties to social institutions play an outsized role such that immigrants with these ties are more likely to seek out citizenship. Other findings show that once naturalized, Latino immigrant political participation is affected by acculturation processes and differences in ethnic origin. Findings also reinforce the continuing importance of ethnic origin as, Mexican immigrant political incorporation is distinct from other national origin groups.Item (Re)constructing a Brazilian model city : discourses of exceptionalism in making and imagining Curitiba, 1900-1945(2013-12) Ross, Evan Mark; Garfield, Seth, 1967-My dissertation examines the putative success of Curitiba, the Brazilian capital of Paraná, and seeks to understand how it came to be touted as the model city of Brazil. The standard explication for Curitiba’s success credits the power of a single city agency, the Urban Planning and Research Institute of Curitiba (IPPUC), and the vision of its first president, Jaime Lerner. According to this narrative, in 1971 IPPUC formalized a broad urbanistic vision for the city’s growth and initiated projects aimed at improving traffic congestion, expanding green space, and increasing city and social services. I argue that the narrative of the institute’s contributions provide an incomplete genealogy of Curitiba’s success. It fails to examine the historical context of the city’s status and does not consider the significance of publicity campaigns in sustaining this image. Also, IPPUC’s story is not only tendentious but derivative. My historical research shows how IPPUC has rearticulated longstanding tropes that celebrate the region’s unique characteristics -such as Curitiba’s edenic cityscape and its European social composition- and has recycled deterministic arguments related to race, ethnicity, and geography. My dissertation demonstrates that exceptionalist discourses have circulated for more than a century. I trace these claims from the 1880s to the 1940s and investigate how and why they changed over time. I show that politicians first initiated efforts to promote the region at the turn of the twentieth century to attract European colonists. Over the next fifty years, politicians, elites, and intellectuals forwarded new claims that positioned Curitiba and Paraná as ideal locations for economic and social development. Planning specialists from around the world have closely studied Curitiba’s urban development, but in their analyses they have largely failed to consider the intellectual and social constructs that undergird this story of progress. My dissertation focuses on century-old celebratory claims about Curitiba and reveals the epistemological roots of the current explications of the city’s success.Item Reinvention and disruption : Austin’s immigrant taxi drivers in the age of Uber(2018-10-04) Lundstrom, Kathryn Marie; Dahlby, Tracy; Lentz, ErinDesalegn Gemechu and Elsabet Guangul are musicians from Ethiopia who came to the United States for a better life –– and now, Gemechu drives a cab. The taxi industry has long served as an important steppingstone for immigrants like Gemechu trying to rebuild a life in a foreign country. But since Uber and Lyft flooded the market and pushed down industry wages, even the workers’ cooperative –– an attempt by immigrant drivers to save their livelihood through a low-cost, democratically run taxi franchise –– is struggling. As Gemechu and Guangul look to the future, they’re resolute about their decision to come to the U.S., but at a loss for how they’ll cope with an industry that is slipping awayItem Roshnara Mustafa Interview(2019-04-15) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious StudiesThis interview is with Roshnara Mustafa, an Indian Muslim who lives in Austin, Texas. Roshnara shares her story of growing up in Kerala, India and her exposure to different sects of Islam, including Sufism. Roshnara discusses her own path in strengthening her faith and religious identity and advocates for accepting pluralism within Islam.Item Separated from parents: the trauma and lasting effects on the child's development(2018-12-06) Hayden, Kelly E.; Quimby, MichelannItem Shameem Azizad Interview(2019-04-20) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious StudiesThis interview is with Shameem Azizad, a radiologist and a mother who lives in Austin, Texas. Shameem discusses navigating her faith from her childhood to adulthood and the potential challenges she sees her children face, her background as the child of refugee parents, and her relationship with the state of Texas. Shameem also defines the label “American-Muslim” as it pertains to her views of American culture. Finally, Shameem recounts her work with Muslim Community Support Services, an organization that strives to support indigent and abused in the Muslim community.Item Sharjeel Syed Interview(2020-11-01) Institute of Diversity and Civic LifeThis interview is with Sharjeel Syed, a first-generation undocumented Pakistani Muslim-American, who is currently in his first year of residency in Chicago, Illinois. Sharjeel’s experience of growing up in San Antonio, going to the local mosque, and feeling a close kinship with Islam, has shaped who he is today. He speaks to wanting to impart systemic changes in the healthcare system in America while also being involved in advocacy or social justice work.Item Sport for integration : inter-ethnic interaction of immigrants in informal sport(2015-05) Lin, Yen-Chun; Dixon, Marlene A., 1970-; Bowers, Matthew T; Holahan, Carole K; Hunt, Thomas M; Warner, Stacy MThe variation of sport contexts creates different sport experiences and outcomes for participants. Self-ruled and less-structured informal sport provides a context where intergroup contacts are similar to the ethnic relationships that typically occur in society. Thus, this dissertation explored the interaction experiences of immigrants in informal sport and what contributed to the interaction among participants with the contact theory as a heuristic guideline; it also explored how sport participation and interactions in informal sports impact immigrants’ social relationships and integration in the new country. Participant observation and semi-structured face-to-face interviews were used to collect data from informal volleyball players in a municipal recreation center and informal basketball players in a corporate campus. The results proposed a conceptual model that contained two pathways for immigrants’ socialization. In Pathway 1, immigrants socialized in informal sport settings through adapting to the unwritten rules of the sport group and built sport acquaintance relationships with other participants. Several moderators were identified that impact the likelihood that intergroup contact would happen and affect the strength of the contact effects on relationship building. In Pathway 2, off-court social activities in multiple behavioral settings contributed to immigrants’ integration because they successfully extended the acquaintance relationships to personal friendships. In the socializing opportunities in different settings, the participants exhibited various roles they play in their daily lives, which expanded their understandings of one another. The results contributed to social relationship building and sport for integration in informal sport. The implications generated critical discussions regarding the complementary effects of organized sport and informal sport.Item The start of a new era? : examining the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition (AIRC) and experiences of Latinas(2011-08) Jiménez, Hortencia; Young, Michael P.; Browne, Simone; Charrad, Maya; Martinez, Lisa; Gonzalez-Lopez, Gloria; Rodriguez, NestorThrough fifty-three in-depth interviews with activists, community members, immigrants, students, and allies, this dissertation research explores the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition (AIRC), a nonprofit immigrant rights organization in Austin, Texas that formed as a response to the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act (H.R. 4437) in the spring of 2006. Three layers of questions guide this research: (1) How did AIRC emerge from the established organizations and activist networks in Austin, Texas? (2) What did AIRC do after the 2006 marches and what is its relationship with organizations in Austin? (3) What are the different ways AIRC has attempted to mobilize Latino(a) and pro-immigrant activism? My dissertation demonstrates that the 2006 mobilizations in Austin, Texas were part of a concerted effort by non-profit organizations, grassroots groups, activists, allies, and college and high school students. Amongst these many active participants, Latinas took a lead. The prominence of the work of similar coalitions throughout the U.S. during La Primavera Latina of 2006 and the lack of prominent male leadership suggests that across the nation, as in Austin, a new type of organizational lead is emerging in the Immigrant Rights Movement (Ramírez Perales-Ramos, Arellano 2010). The 2006 mobilizations reveal a different type of leadership, not an absence of one. In Austin, Latinas took on various leadership roles to move the AIRC forward during and beyond the 2006 marches. This dissertation explores the significance of new leadership, a process approach to leadership which I term “doing leadership.” The four processes of doing leadership embody shared leadership, leadership that serves the community, leadership that leads by obeying, and leadership unfolds behind the scenes.Item Ten sounds I cannot hear(2022-11-29) Arumbakkam, Aishwarya; Reynolds, Ann Morris; Hubbard, Teresa, 1965-My report will look at the making of my most recent body of work entitled Ten sounds I cannot hear. I will discuss each individual work through the process of their making, elaborating on my motivations, doubts, and decisions. The report will interweave written text with images of the works on view, and in the studio.