The Polish Peasant in Europe and America

Thomas, William I.; Znaniecki, Florian; Zaretsky, Eli

doi:10.2307/25140618

Cited by 148 publications

(99 citation statements)

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“…Psychological well-being-The emphasis on psychological well-being in the literature on immigrant children (e.g., Bankston and Zhou 2002;Harker 2001;Kao 1999) is justified because immigrant children are specifically characterized by what Thomas and Znaniecki (1974) termed "marginality," the experience of living in two worlds and not fully belonging to either. Marginality refers to a painful split, with accompanying feelings of insecurity, alienation, and ambivalence toward both the ethnic subculture and the dominant society.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is assimilation theory dead? The effect of assimilation on adolescent well-being

Greenman

Xie

2008

Social Science Research

125

104

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The relationship between assimilation and the well-being of immigrant children has been the focus of debate in the recent sociological literature. Much of this work has questioned whether classical theories of immigrant adaptation, which assumed assimilation to be an integral part of the process of upward mobility for immigrants, are still applicable to today's immigrant children. This study reevaluates the applicability of classical assimilation theory with a comprehensive empirical assessment of the relationship between assimilation and the well-being of Hispanic and Asian immigrant adolescents. Using Add Health data, we examine the effect of different aspects of assimilation on educational achievement, psychological well-being, and at-risk behaviors. We find that the effect of assimilation varies greatly depending on the ethnic group and outcome under consideration, but that it is generally related to both greater academic achievement and more at-risk behavior. We conclude that assimilation theory is still relevant, but suggest an interpretation that emphasizes a process of decreasing differences between groups rather than either detrimental or beneficial effects of assimilation. KeywordsImmigrants; adolescents; youths; assimilation; ethnicity Recent sociological literature has devoted considerable attention to the well-being of immigrant children (e.g.,

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is assimilation theory dead? The effect of assimilation on adolescent well-being

Greenman

Xie

2008

Social Science Research

125

104

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“…As Jefferson's remarks (first published in 1782) indicate, the concern with the "duality" or "divided allegiance" of immigrants and their children has a long history. It may seem that, in the early 20th century, social research on immigrant children focussed on rather "practical" issues, such as involvement in criminal activities (Taft, 1936;Thomas andZnaniecki, 1958: 175343301, occupational choices (Beynon, 1934), birth rates (Robinson, 1936), marriage patterns (Monahan, 19511, mental health (Sanua, 1959) and, of course, educational attainment.6 However, the investigation of these particular issues-which are still very much alive todayhas never been completely independent from the two-worlds thesis. The importance accorded to education, for example, is often justified on the basis of the idea that "[tlhe immigrant child lived in two worlds .…”

Section: A Brief History Of the Two-worlds Thesismentioning

confidence: 99%

Duality and Diversity in the Lives of Immigrant Children: Rethinking the “Problem of the Second Generation” in Light of Immigrant Autobiographies*

Karakayalı

2008

Canadian Review of Sociology/Revue Canadienne De Sociologie

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A la lumiere d'autobiographies d'immigrants &rites dans 1'Amerique du Nord du XXe sihle, l'auteur de cet article dtudie la these tres &pandue selon laquelle les enfants des immigrants sont pris entre leur communautk parentale et leur soci6tk hbte, et, par cons6quent, qu'ils constituent un << groupe p r o b l h e )). Les autobiographies fournissent une image plus complexe que ce que decrit ce modele, indiquant non seulement une existence << ambivalente )), mais Bgalement une vie impregnee de reves d'une nouvelle identitb. S'inspirant des travaux de Deleuze et de Guattari sur la <( litterature mineure )), l'auteur s u m r e que la realiaation de ces r6ves constitue un aspect central du soi-disant <' probleme de la deuxibme generation )>.In light of immigrant autobiographies written in 20th-century North America, this paper examines the widespread thesis that children of immigrants are caught between their parental community and the host society, and therefore constitute a "problem group." Autobiographies provide a more complex picture than what this model portrays, indicating not just an "ambivalent" existence but also a life imbued with dreams of a new identity. Drawing on Deleuze and Guattari's work on "minor literature," the author suggests that the realization of these dreams is a central aspect of the so-called "problem of the second generation."IN AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED AT THE DAWN OF THE 20TH CENTURY, the renowned social statistician Richmond Mayo-Smith (1894) identified three major groups among what he called "the whites" in America. First, there were "the native-born of native parentage,"' the '%rue Americans" who constituted "a homogeneous body, and to this body the others of more recent arrival tend to be assimilated." Then, there were "the whites of for- Although few researchers today, if any, would proceed with such a simplistic scheme, Mayo-Smith's remarks are far from being obsolete. In fact, most social research on children of immigrants' in the 20th century has unfolded in the broader context of the integration of immigrant groups. More specifically, the idea that children of immigrants are caught between the "worlds" or "cultures" of their parents and the host society permeates the sociological literature. As I will try to show below, this idea is articulated in slightly different terms in different periods. Thus, in Thomas Jefferson's time, it was a matter of political loyalty and commitment to "democracy"; at the turn of the 20th century, it became a matter of social integration and order; and in Robert Park's work it turns into a matter of cultural integration. Ultimately, however, we can think of this as a single thesis that has been used in different forms. In this paper I chose to denote this idea as the "twoworlds thesis," partly because the term "world" is fairly broad (and therefore exposes the vagueness of the thesis better), and partly because it is used by Marcus Lee Hansen (1952) in his famous essay on "three generations." This paper is a critical examination of the two-worlds thesis ...

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“…Both approaches appeared during the same decade under the influence of the classical work of Thomas and Znaniecki (1974). Both approaches focus on the interrelation between (social, structural, historical) contexts and lives.…”

Section: Historical Development and Common Points Of The Biographicalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combining In-Depth Biographical Interviews with the LIVES History Calendar in Studying the Life Course of Children of Immigrants

Gomensoro

Paredes

2017

Life Course Research and Social Policies

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The use of the life course perspective to study migration is of increasing interest in the field. A majority of the research on first-and second-generation residents is based on quantitative methodological designs that mainly focus on different aspects of their insertion into the host society. This type of research takes objective indicators as inspiration such as educational attainment, position in the labor market, social networks, citizenship and, level of proficiency in the host country's language. On the other hand, some studies use qualitative approaches to study the lives of descendants of immigrants. The aim of those studies is to understand people's subjective evaluations of life events and trajectories. We think that both approaches study two sides of the same coin.The biographical approach and the life course perspective share many features.

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The Polish Peasant in Europe and America

Cited by 148 publications

References 0 publications

Is assimilation theory dead? The effect of assimilation on adolescent well-being

Is assimilation theory dead? The effect of assimilation on adolescent well-being

Duality and Diversity in the Lives of Immigrant Children: Rethinking the “Problem of the Second Generation” in Light of Immigrant Autobiographies*

Combining In-Depth Biographical Interviews with the LIVES History Calendar in Studying the Life Course of Children of Immigrants

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