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Isolation and Incorporation: The Lives of Hispanic Immigrants in Asheville, North Carolina

This study examines the lives of Hispanic immigrants in Asheville, North Carolina, focusing on their experiences, coping strategies, and methods of adaptation. The research includes interviews and participant observations at three different sites, including the International Link, Hispanic Pentecostal Church, and a Hispanic restaurant. The study highlights the challenges faced by temporary labor and permanent Hispanic immigrants, and explores the role of the church in their social incorporation. The findings suggest that temporary immigrants are socially isolated and adopt individualistic coping strategies, while permanent immigrants have greater opportunities for social connections.

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Isolation and Incorporation: The Lives of Hispanic Immigrants in Asheville, North Carolina

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  1. Isolation and Incorporation: The Lives of Hispanic Immigrants in Asheville, North Carolina Matthew George 3 May 2005

  2. Introduction • Original interest • Meeting migrants in Mexico • What is life like for Hispanic immigrants in Asheville? • Coping strategies • Methods of adaptation

  3. Methods • Formal interviews (in Spanish) and participant observation • 3 sites • International Link • Hispanic Pentecostal Church • Hispanic restaurant • Five primary informants (all names changed) • Limits of generalization

  4. Hispanic Immigrants in Asheville: Who Are They? • Asheville is 3.8% Hispanic • 2.2% Mexican, 0.3% Puerto Rican, 0.1% Cuban, and 1.2% Other Hispanic or Latino(2000 Census) • More males than females

  5. Results and Discussion • Temporary Labor Immigrants: Isolation and Individualism • The Social Function of the Church and its Implications for Immigrant Incorporation • Permanent Hispanic Immigrants: Two Case Studies

  6. Temporary Labor Immigrants: Isolation and Individualism • Limited human capital • Enter labor market • Outside ethnic enclave • Little mobility • Goal oriented • Send money home

  7. Temporary Immigrants, cont’d • Social Isolation • Small Hispanic community • Rarely speak English • Stigma • Immersion in work • “60, 80, 100 hours per week” • Allocate little energy to building social network

  8. Fatalistic outlook on life Distrust of others No alternative to lifelong hard work Rafael: Well, (laughs) I don't really like it. Pablo: We're not here to enjoy ourselves. We're here because of the necessity that we have. Matthew: If you could be anywhere, where would it be? Pablo: It doesn't matter. What matters is the work. Temporary Immigrants, cont’d

  9. Individualistic coping strategies They talked about work. There’s work everywhere, Ignacio [the Honduran] said. Here, there, everywhere, you just have to be intelligent to find it. One of the younger Mexican women said, “All I have is these,” and she pointed to her hands and to her head. Temporary Immigrants, cont’d

  10. The Social Function of the Church and its Implications for Immigrant Incorporation • “A Bridge Between Cultures” (Mol 1971:70) • A church of “winners,” of people “who intend to compete.” (Berryman 1999:30) • Success in the labor market promotes integration • Worldview contrasts with isolated labor immigrants • Evangelism promotes inclusiveness

  11. The pastor told a strange story to his congregation, saying, “I smoke the best marijuana around. A guy asked me where I got it. Who was selling? I told him, this marijuana is from the best source. My drug is the Bible,” and he held up the Bible jauntily. Strict moral code condemns vice Reactive identity Moral Isolation

  12. Permanent Hispanic Immigrants:Two Case Studies • Human Capital Immigrants • Arrive with greater amounts of human capital • Enter professional labor market outside the ethnic enclave • “Do not present a problem for the host society and they are easily acculturated and eventually assimilated” (Heisler 1992)

  13. Gloria, a South American School Teacher • Experience determined by type of labor market incorporation • Married an American professional before she had been in Asheville two years • Found a job as a Spanish teacher • Working on her Master’s Degree

  14. Permanent Labor Immigrants • Arrive with few sources of human capital • Enter secondary labor market outside the ethnic enclave • Risk of exposure to negative elements of U.S. culture • Formation of linkages with U.S. society (Chavez 1991) • Establishing a family • Having children in the U.S. • Obtaining citizenship • Learning English

  15. Ignacio, a Honduran Laborer • Has lived and worked unskilled jobs in Asheville for 7 years • Obtained citizenship • Married an American woman and had a child • Values friendship more and work less than temporary labor immigrants • Still plans to move back to Honduras with family

  16. Conclusion • Temporary immigrants • socially isolated • Immersed in work • Individualistic coping strategies and fatalistic outlook • The Pentecostal Church • encourages both financial incorporation and moral segregation • Look forward to improvement through faith and hard work • Permanent immigrants • More opportunities to make social connections • Labor market incorporation influences their social and economic experience

  17. Questions? • Thank you

  18. Acknowledgements • All who contributed their time and stories • Geri and Lule at International Link • Dr. Ben Feinberg • Dr. Siti Kusujiarti • All my friends and family

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