1st Edition

Cultural Psychology of Immigrants

Edited By Ramaswami Mahalingam Copyright 2006
    396 Pages
    by Psychology Press

    This new volume provides an interdisciplinary perspective on how intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, and culture shape the cultural psychology of immigrants. It demonstrates the influence transnational ties and cultural practices and beliefs play on creating the immigrant self. Distinguished scholars from a variety of fields examine the cultural psychological consequences of displacement among different immigrant communities. Cultural Psychology of Immigrants opens with a variety of theoretical perspectives on immigration and a historical overview of sociological research on immigrants. It then examines the racial discrimination of immigrants and the multifaceted influences on the creation of immigrant identities. The final section documents the pivotal role of family contexts in shaping identity. Each chapter illustrates the commonalities and differences among immigrants in the ways in which they make sense of their newfound selves in a displaced context.

    Intended for advanced students and researchers in the fields of psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, public health, anthropology, sociology, education, and ethnic studies, the book also serves as a resource in courses on cultural psychology, immigrant studies, minority groups, race and ethnic relations, self and identity, culture and human development, and immigrants and mental health.

    Contents: Preface. R. Mahalingam, Cultural Psychology of Immigrants: An Introduction. Part I: Immigration, Globalization, and Transnationalism: Theoretical Perspectives. B.S. Low, Whither Thou Goest: An Evolutionary Perspective on Migration. S. Pedraza, Assimilation or Transnationalism? Conceptual Models of the Immigrant Experience in America. E.V. Daniel, The Dialectic of Recognition and Displacement in a Globalized World. E.J. Murphy, Transnational Ties and Mental Health. Part II: Immigration and Race. T.F. Pettigrew, A Two-Level Approach to Anti-Immigrant Prejudice and Discrimination. V.M. Esses, J. Dietz, A. Bhardwaj, The Role of Prejudice in the Discounting of Immigrant Skills. T.T. Tormala, K. Deaux, Black Immigrants to the United States: Confronting and Constructing Ethnicity and Race. R. Mahalingam, C. Philip, S. Balan, Cultural Psychology and Marginality: An Explorative Study of Indian Diaspora. Part III: Immigration, Self, Gender, and Narratives. M.J. Zaborowska, Racing Transatlantic Passages: James Baldwin's African "America" and Immigrant Studies. M. Abraham, Model Minority and Marital Violence: South Asian Immigrants in the United States. P.R. Pessar, Refugees and Gendered Citizenship. O.M. Esp¡n, Gender, Sexuality, Language, and Migration. R. Mahalingam, J. Haritatos, Cultural Psychology of Gender and Immigration. Part IV: Immigration and Family. J.L. Roopnarine, A. Krishnakumar, Conceptual and Research Considerations in the Determinants of Child Outcomes Among English-Speaking Caribbean Immigrants in the United States: A Cultural-Ecological Approach. K.K. Dion, On the Development of Identity: Perspectives From Immigrant Families. M. Zhou, Negotiating Culture and Ethnicity: Intergenerational Relations in Chinese Immigrant Families in the United States. I. Sakamoto, Acculturation or Negotiation? What Japanese Academic Migrants Teach Us About Family Processes and Gendered Experiences of Cultural Adaptation.

    Biography

    Ramaswami Mahalingam

    "This timely book focuses on the psychological experience of immigrants and refugees. This book will interest readers across the social sciences disciplines, including anthropology, sociology, ethnic studies, and social work as well as psychology. Recommended."
    CHOICE

    "...would recommend this book to professional care providers, educators, policymakers, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, and politicians. The chapters are well written, clear, concise, and, when added together, make a compelling and respectful case to treat immigrants as one would want to be treated."
    PsycCRITIQUES

    "...Well written, conceptually clear, intellectually engaging and most politically worthwhile."
    Anton Allahar, Ph.D.
    Dept. of Sociology, The University of Western Ontario

    "... A significant contribution to the scholarship on immigrant experiences."
    Fabienne Doucet, Ph.D.
    School of Family Studies, University of Connecticut

    "The editor demonstrates remarkable...familiarity with...interdisciplinary fields related to cultural studies…the book will be of most interest to scholars in the field of ethnic studies, social workers and public health professionals, sociologists, psychologists, and anthropologists…I would...recommend it to colleagues as an introduction to the study of culture…"
    Glenn Adams, Ph.D.
    University of Kansas