Legacies: The Story of the Immigrant Second Generation

455 Pages·2001·2.91 MB·English

by  Alejandro Portes

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LEGACIES
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The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous
contribution to this book provided by the General Endowment Fund
of the Associates of the University of California Press.
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Legacies
The Story of the
Immigrant Second Generation
ALEJANDRO PORTES
RUBÉN G. RUMBAUT
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley Los Angeles London
RUSSELL SAGE FOUNDATION
New York
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All photographs are by Steven J. Gold.
All rights reserved.
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
Russell Sage Foundation
New York, New York
© 2001 by
The Regents of the University of California
Portes, Alejandro, 1944–
Legacies : the story of the immigrant second
generation / Alejandro Portes, Rubén G. Rumbaut.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-520-22847-2 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN
0-520-22848-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Immigrants—United States—Economic
conditions. 2. Immigrants—United States—Social
conditions. 3. United States—Emigration and
immigration. I. Rumbaut, Rubén G. II. Title.
JV6471 .P67 2001
305.990691—dc21 00-061993
Printed in the United States of America
08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication meets the min-
imum requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992
(R 1997) (Permanence of Paper).
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To Lisa, Charles, and Andrea;
and Rob, Audra, and Rubén Darío
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CONTENTS
List of Tables and Illustrations xi
Preface xvii
Acknowledgments xxi
1. Twelve Stories 1
Miami Stories 2
María de los Angeles and Yvette Santana: August 1993 2
Melanie Fernández-Rey: September 1993 3
Aristide Maillol: August 1993 4
Armando and Luis Hernández: July 1995 4
Mary Patterson: February 1995 6
Efrén Montejo: May 1994 7
San Diego Stories 8
Jorge, Olga, Miguel Angel, and Estela Cardozo:
January 1994 8
Quy Nguyen: December 1987 9
Bennie and Jennifer Montoya: October 1995 11
Sophy Keng: November 1987–June 1988 12
Yolanda and Carlos Muñoz: March 1994 14
Boua Cha: 1988–1990 15
2. The New Americans: An Overview 17
Immigration Yesterday and Today 17
The Size and Concentration of the Second Generation 19
Studying the New Second Generation:
The Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study 22
The New Second Generation at a Glance 33
Census Results 33
CILS Results 37
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viii CONTENTS
3. Not Everyone Is Chosen: Segmented Assimilation
and Its Determinants 44
How Immigrants Are Received: Modes of Incorporation
and Their Consequences 46
Acculturation and Role Reversal 49
Where They Grow Up: Challenges to Second-Generation
Adaptation 55
Race 55
Labor Markets 56
Countercultures 59
Confronting the Challenge: Immigrant Social Capital 62
Parental Status, Family Structure, and Gender 62
The Immigrant Community 64
Conclusion 69
4. Making It in America 70
Early Adaptation and Achievement 72
General Trends 72
Nationality and Achievement 73
Determinants of Parental Economic Achievement:
Additive Effects 76
Determinants of Parental Economic Achievement:
Interaction Effects 82
Nationality and Family Composition 85
Conclusion 90
5. In Their Own Eyes: Immigrant Outlooks on America 91
Aura Lila Marín, Cuban, 53, Single Mother (1994) 91
Pao Yang, Laotian Hmong, 57, Father (1995) 93
Optimism 94
Permissiveness 97
Ambition 103
Community and Pride 107
Conclusion 111
6. Lost in Translation:
Language and the New Second Generation 113
Bilingualism: Yesterday and Today 115
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CONTENTS ix
Shadow Boxing: Myth and Reality of Language
Acculturation 118
General Trends 118
National Differences 122
Forced-March Acculturation 128
What Makes a Bilingual? 134
A Game of Mirrors: Language Instruction and Types
of Acculturation 143
7. Defining the Situation: The Ethnic Identities
of Children of Immigrants 147
Sites of Belonging: The Complex Allegiances of Children
of Immigrants 149
Developing a Self 149
Past Research 152
Who Am I? Patterns of Ethnic Self-Identification 154
Ethnic Identity Shifts 154
Stability and Salience 157
Ethnic Self-Identities by National Origin 160
Where Do I Come From? Nation, Family, and Identity 161
Correlates of Self-Identities 166
Family Status, Composition, and Language 166
The Influence of Parental Self-Identities 171
Region, Schools, and Discrimination 171
The Race Question 176
Determinants of Ethnic and Racial Identities 181
Conclusion: From Translation Artists to Living Paradoxes 189
8. The Crucible Within: Family, Schools,
and the Psychology of the Second Generation 192
San Diego Families 194
Family Cohesion, Conflict, and Change 197
School Environments and Peer Groups 203
Psychological Well-Being: Self-Esteem and Depressive Affect 207
School Engagement and Effort 211
Educational Expectations 215
Determinants of Psychosocial Outcomes 220
Self-Esteem and Depression 220