Current Search: immigrant identity (x)
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(1 - 7 of 7)
- Title
- Layers of Identity (&) Privilege in Legislation: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Senate Bill 744.
- Creator
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Hewkin, Jessica, Sandoval, Jennifer, Hanlon, Christine, Santana, Maria, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This research examines Senate Bill 744 (S.744) from the 113th Congress of the United States, and its findings will be used as a model to reveal problems in similar legislation. Senate Bill 744 was proposed by the 113th Congress in an attempt to accomplish bi-partisan immigration reform. The bill was viewed (and still is) as a comprehensive compromise, in that neither Democrats nor Republicans were completely satisfied with its result. The outcome was that the legislators who were involved in...
Show moreThis research examines Senate Bill 744 (S.744) from the 113th Congress of the United States, and its findings will be used as a model to reveal problems in similar legislation. Senate Bill 744 was proposed by the 113th Congress in an attempt to accomplish bi-partisan immigration reform. The bill was viewed (and still is) as a comprehensive compromise, in that neither Democrats nor Republicans were completely satisfied with its result. The outcome was that the legislators who were involved in S.744's creation were satisfied that something on the topic of immigration reform had been accomplished (the bill passed the Senate, but never came up for a vote in the House), even if it was not what they, nor their constituents really wanted. S.744 addressed, what the researcher perceives, as the key Democratic and Republican issues concerning immigration reform in the United States, which were status for undocumented immigrants on the left, and increased border security on the right. However, the researcher also notes that neither of these issues were handled well in the bill because of their exclusionary nature, and that is what led her to this research. This study is important because it will highlight legislative failures and look at how representatives can be held more accountable for their use of disingenuous language. This research looks at aspects of identity and privilege as they relate to exclusions from the dominant culture, and consequently the legislative process. The researcher would like to disclose that as an immigrant herself she has first-hand experience of the system's failures, and is approaching this project with personal invested interested in the success of future legislation.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFE0005805, ucf:50046
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005805
- Title
- THE MAINTENANCE OF ETHNIC CULTURE AND MANIFESTATIONS OF ETHNIC IDENTITY IN THE LIFE STORIES OF FINNISH IMMIGRANTS.
- Creator
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Grantham, Minna, Dietz, Tracy, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This study examined whether Finnish immigrants show evidence of assimilation or if they have maintained their ethnic culture in the United States. More specifically, the purpose was to examine how the ethnic culture has been maintained and the ways that ethnic identity manifests itself in their life stories. Ten qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Finnish immigrants and children of Finnish immigrants, and emerging themes were identified in the data. The results...
Show moreThis study examined whether Finnish immigrants show evidence of assimilation or if they have maintained their ethnic culture in the United States. More specifically, the purpose was to examine how the ethnic culture has been maintained and the ways that ethnic identity manifests itself in their life stories. Ten qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Finnish immigrants and children of Finnish immigrants, and emerging themes were identified in the data. The results indicate a strong ethnic identity among Finnish immigrants, yet it appears to be a very much taken for granted experience for them. The immigrants' lives were influenced by their ethnicity in that they lived in predominantly Finnish areas, preferred Finnish as their daily language, participated in Finnish activities, especially the Lutheran church, followed customs, and kept regular contact with friends and family in Finland. One of the major differences between the immigrants and children of immigrants was their language use. The norms and policies have been that ethnic groups will assimilate; yet this cohort of Finnish immigrants demonstrates a high level of maintenance of their ancestral culture, thus providing support for Cultural Pluralism. Future studies should address the specific organizations, mainly the Lutheran church, and its influence on the maintenance of Finnish culture, and future studies should address the meaning of language in more detail.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000767, ucf:46579
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000767
- Title
- Stereotypes, Perceptions of Similarity, and Cultural Identity: Factors That May Influence the Academic Achievement of Immigrant Students.
- Creator
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Fagan, Tamara, Szente, Judit, Eriksson, Gillian, Englehart, Deirdre, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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For decades, the United States has been known as the nation of immigrants due to the increasing number of immigrant students in the public school system. Although the population of immigrant students steadily increases annually, American society still pressures immigrants into acculturation to fulfill the United States ideals of academic achievement despite the United States claim of multiculturalism (Malcolm (&) Lowery, 2011). This research focuses on 1st- and 2nd generation immigrant...
Show moreFor decades, the United States has been known as the nation of immigrants due to the increasing number of immigrant students in the public school system. Although the population of immigrant students steadily increases annually, American society still pressures immigrants into acculturation to fulfill the United States ideals of academic achievement despite the United States claim of multiculturalism (Malcolm (&) Lowery, 2011). This research focuses on 1st- and 2nd generation immigrant students' strife of acceptance in U.S. culture, while sill preserving their own native culture, and the influence it has on academic achievement.The researcher interviewed eight (8) adult participants who are either 1st- or 2nd generation immigrant college students. This qualitative case study research aims to determine if forced acculturation or assimilation using stereotypes and perceptions of similarity effects how immigrant students develop their cultural identity, and the influence it has on academic achievement. Four major themes emerged from the participants' responses: parental approval, peer pressure, environmental influence, and feelings about their ethnic group. Basic findings supported that immigrant students' cultural identity is threatened by stereotypes and perceptions of similarity.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0004996, ucf:49554
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004996
- Title
- THE EVOLUTION OF FRENCH IDENTITY: A STUDY OF THE HUGUENOTS IN COLONIAL SOUTH CAROLINA, 1680-1740.
- Creator
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Maurer, Nancy, Beiler, Rosalind, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This thesis examines the changes that occurred in the French identity of Huguenot immigrants to colonial Carolina. In their pursuit of prosperity and religious toleration, the Huguenots' identity evolved from one of French religious refugees to that of white South Carolinians. How and why this evolution occurred is the focus of this study. Upon arriving in the colony in the 1680s and 1690s, the Huguenots' identity was based on several common factors: their French language, their...
Show moreThis thesis examines the changes that occurred in the French identity of Huguenot immigrants to colonial Carolina. In their pursuit of prosperity and religious toleration, the Huguenots' identity evolved from one of French religious refugees to that of white South Carolinians. How and why this evolution occurred is the focus of this study. Upon arriving in the colony in the 1680s and 1690s, the Huguenots' identity was based on several common factors: their French language, their Calvinist religion, and their French heritage. As the immigrant group began to build their new lives in Carolina, these identifying factors began to disappear. The first generation's identity evolved from French immigrants to British subjects when they were challenged on the issues of their political and religious rights and, in response to these challenges, requested to become naturalized subjects. The second generation faced economic challenges that pitted planters against the wealthier merchants in a colony-wide debate over the printing of paper currency. This conflict created divisions within the Huguenot group as well and furthered their identity from British subjects to planters or merchants. Another shift in the Huguenots' identity took place within the third generation when they were faced with a slave uprising in 1739. The Huguenots' involvement in finding a legislative solution to the revolt completes this evolutionary process as the grandchildren of the immigrant generation become white South Carolinians. This thesis expands the historical data available on immigrant groups and their behaviors within colonial settlements.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001225, ucf:46904
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001225
- Title
- WHITE OPINIONS OF UNITED STATES IMMIGRATION: TESTING RIVAL HYPOTHESES, 2004.
- Creator
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Bulkley, Celeste, Knuckey, Jonathan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Few issues in the contemporary American political and social environments are as salient and emotionally charged as the debate over immigration. The thesis tests several competing hypotheses concerning the determinants of public opinion – among white respondents – on immigration issues. These include: the contextual considerations of southern residence and proximity to large numbers of Hispanic immigrants, as well as the individual-level factors of economic insecurity, political...
Show moreFew issues in the contemporary American political and social environments are as salient and emotionally charged as the debate over immigration. The thesis tests several competing hypotheses concerning the determinants of public opinion – among white respondents – on immigration issues. These include: the contextual considerations of southern residence and proximity to large numbers of Hispanic immigrants, as well as the individual-level factors of economic insecurity, political knowledge, national identity, group pride, and racism. Using data from the 2004 American National Election Study, the thesis provides a critical test of the competing hypotheses using multivariate analysis. Furthermore, conditional relationships are posited, facilitating a more refined analysis of the structure of attitudes on immigration issues. The results indicate that racism, group pride, symbolic patriotism, ideology, and isolationism are the most consistent and significant predictors of immigration policy preferences. The use of four distinct dependent variable questions also highlights the inconsistency in public opinion regarding immigration and the division between public perception of documented and undocumented entries. Future research should focus on the interrelationship between variables that are used by the individual to define group associations, as well as the change in national and personal identity brought about by the events of September 11th, 2001.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001407, ucf:47075
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001407
- Title
- THE NORTHERN IRELAND CONFLICT: FEASIBILITY OF 21ST CENTURY REUNIFICATION.
- Creator
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O'Brien, Robert, Sadri, Houman, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The State of Northern Ireland has been home to a significant amount of violence between a minority of Catholic Irish nationalists and a majority of Protestant British unionists. As a result, violence has plagued the region, with the loss of over three thousand five hundred lives during the course of three decades, colloquially known as "the troubles." In 1998, the Belfast or "Good Friday" Agreement was signed by officials from The United Kingdom and The Republic of Ireland to ensure a...
Show moreThe State of Northern Ireland has been home to a significant amount of violence between a minority of Catholic Irish nationalists and a majority of Protestant British unionists. As a result, violence has plagued the region, with the loss of over three thousand five hundred lives during the course of three decades, colloquially known as "the troubles." In 1998, the Belfast or "Good Friday" Agreement was signed by officials from The United Kingdom and The Republic of Ireland to ensure a diplomatic means of cooperation amongst the various political parties of Northern Ireland, and disarmament of paramilitary groups. However, the desire for nationalists to unify the island and to seek total independence from the United Kingdom still endures. In spite of a significant decrease in violence, dissident republicans continue to target the Police Service of Northern Ireland, with the intent to disrupt the peace process; the people of Northern Ireland are still polarized regarding their political and national standings, which decrease the chances of Irish reunification in the near future. The intent of this thesis is to explore the feasibility of Irish reunification in the 21st century, and its reasons why a united Ireland will not be obtained. By examining the global policy towards terrorism after September 11th 2001, the recent net-immigration to Ireland preceded by the "Celtic Tiger" period in The Republic of Ireland's economic boon, and the complexities of the perceived identities in Northern Ireland, the unlikelihood of reunifying Ireland under one government, independent from the United Kingdom will be reiterated.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFH0004081, ucf:44801
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004081
- Title
- In Double Exile: A Memoir.
- Creator
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Beckwin, Deborah, Nwakanma, Obi, Roney, Lisa, Thaxton, Terry, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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In Double Exile: A Memoir examines the life of a family of Ghanaian immigrants and their journeys of acculturation, and the impact of the father's spiraling mental health issues on his family. Through the eyes of their daughter, this thesis briefly explores their lives on the right side of the Atlantic, as medical professionals, and then focuses on the life of their daughter born in America on the left side of the Atlantic. As novelist Georges Simenon has said, (")I am at home everywhere, and...
Show moreIn Double Exile: A Memoir examines the life of a family of Ghanaian immigrants and their journeys of acculturation, and the impact of the father's spiraling mental health issues on his family. Through the eyes of their daughter, this thesis briefly explores their lives on the right side of the Atlantic, as medical professionals, and then focuses on the life of their daughter born in America on the left side of the Atlantic. As novelist Georges Simenon has said, (")I am at home everywhere, and nowhere. I am never a stranger and I never quite belong.(") This memoir explores this tension between alienation and connection, as a second-generation immigrant grows up navigating between various cultures: to dominant American culture, evangelical Christian/Southern culture, African-American culture, and Ghanaian culture. In an attempt to understand the present, this thesis is a sankofa journey back into the author's history. Spanning over four decades, the memoir uncovers various exilic configurations: exiled from family, from ethnic heritage, from home, and from one's self.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005304, ucf:50529
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005304
