A Missed Opportunity for Community Engagement and Data Collection

This research is a case study that explores the dissemination and learnings of information which takes place in a diaspora organization in Toronto, the Kutchi Cultural Association. As a community of first-generation immigrants in Canada, the informal settings and learnings within this organization play an important role in their settlement process and build a sense of shared efficacy. The diaspora gatherings become the quintessential point of community engagement where knowledge is transferred and shared. This exploratory research discovers how information and learnings flow both within the organization as well as with mainstream institutions such as the libraries, archives, and museums. It highlights a missed opportunity for mainstream institutions of engaging such diaspora organizations that play a significant role in the sharing and gathering of information, albeit veiled and unaccounted for through official means and calls for more extensive research on the subject.

(In)felicitous use of subjects in Greek and Spanish in monolingual and contact settings

This paper focuses on subject distribution in Greek and Chilean Spanish, both null subject languages, as evidenced in the oral production of monolingual and bilingual speakers. Narratives elicited from 40 monolinguals and 76 bilinguals of different types, namely, first-generation immigrants, heritage speakers and L2 speakers, were analysed to explore potential differences in expressing subject reference between the groups in monolingual and contact settings. The qualitative analysis of contexts of topic continuity and topic shift showed no overextension of the scope of the overt subject pronoun, expected to be found in the bilingual performance according to the Interface Hypothesis (Sorace, 2011, 2012) and previous research. The findings also show that the redundancy of lexical subjects observed in topic continuity contexts mostly involved felicitous (pragmatically appropriate) constructions. Moreover, while null subjects in topic shift were also found to be felicitous in both monolinguals and bilinguals, cases of ambiguity were observed in the bilingual performance in this discourse context.

Socio-cultural integration of first generation immigrants in Greece

We analyze the socio-cultural integration (SCI) of first generation immigrants as the outcome of economic integration and regularization. We focus on Greece for which similar evidence do not exist and report SCI levels and the factors that are conducive to them. We construct a simple socio-cultural integration index and analyze its variation against pre and post migration factors, using a sample of 200 first generation immigrants in Greece. Robust empirical estimation techniques are applied. Results reveal interesting findings with regard to immigrants’ types of adaptation to the host community. On a zero to ten scale, average SCI levels are estimated at 5.7 (± 2.5) which is high in absolute terms but low in terms of the degree (type) of integration. After controlling for the socio-demographic profile of the respondents, naturalization and their time living in Greece, we find that education and employment status are the most important determinants of socio-cultural integration.

Verbal working memory assessment in Russian-Brazilian Portuguese bilinguals

In Brazil, the learning of a second language (L2) by native Brazilian Portuguese speakers has been extensively explored, but studies on language processing and language interaction among bilinguals are quite recent. The late bilingualism of the first-generation immigrants has been studied mainly from the perspective of their difficulties in learning Brazilian Portuguese. Brazil has numerous communities of heritage speakers of many languages such as Japanese, German, Italian, Polish, Ukrainian, and Russian. However, the number of studies that focus on the bilingual speech of heritage speakers in Brazil is also quite limited. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the working memory in Russian-Brazilian Portuguese bilinguals as a function of the language and type of bilingualism. For this purpose, 49 first-generation Russophone immigrants and 28 older Russian heritage speakers, all residing in Brazil, were tested in Russian and Portuguese using a Month-Ordering task. We found that the working memory scores of the first-generation Russophone immigrants were not statistically different between both languages, but the median working memory score of the older Russian heritage speakers in Russian was 1.5-fold lower than in Portuguese. As next steps, we plan to verify the relation between the working memory capacity and narrative production abilities of the older Russian heritage-Brazilian Portuguese bilinguals in their heritage and societal languages.

Why Are Newcomers so Happy? Subjective Well-Being of First-Generation Immigrants in Germany

First-generation immigrants are surprisingly satisfied with their life compared to the local population in Germany. Is this because newcomers are particularly resourceful? We test if personality selectivity, purposive adaptation, and social resilience separately or in tandem explain why subjective well-being remains high even in times of objective disadvantage. Using German panel data (GSOEP) from 5,008 first-generation immigrants for the years 1984–2014 and official data, growth curve models show that newcomers are a selected group with respect to their open and less neurotic personalities and that these personal characteristics are distinctly associated with happiness. Also, newcomers immediately compare their income to the standards in the host society but not their family life. This contributes to boosting their subjective well-being as well. For more than 30 years, first-generation immigrants use their country of origin as a reference point thus protecting the positive association of intimate relationships and happiness. Finally, newcomers are highly capable of recovering from social loss. Since the resources used by first-generation migrants to preserve their subjective well-being are unlikely to be confined to Germany, our findings can inform policy-making. Most importantly, they suggest that the economic integration of newcomers should be fast and easy while family reunification and integration should follow only with a time lag.

“Dando las Gracias a Mis Papás”: Analyzing the Enactment of Callings across Generations of Latinx Immigrants

Callings, a prominent way in which communication scholars have spoken about meaningful work, are often used to describe individual pulls towards an occupation. Calling research has also been criticized for lacking participants with diverse backgrounds and occupations. This study addressed these gaps by investigating how Latinx immigrants across two generations made sense of their work as callings. By interviewing Latinx immigrants (N = 36) this study revealed that first- and second-generation immigrants co-constructed integrated callings. Unlike individual callings, integrated callings are tied to a common understanding of how various journeys are connected. Within immigrant families, there was an understanding about the relationship between first-generation immigrants’ migration journeys and second-generation immigrants’ occupational journeys. Across the two generations, work was tied to educational, occupational, and non-occupational outcomes that served to improve the lives of immigrants. The proposed framework, integrated callings, is one that accounts for non-occupational outcomes and the experiences of diverse workers.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) among immigrant groups and Swedish-born individuals: a cohort study of all adults 18 years of age and older in Sweden

Background There is a lack of studies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in immigrants. Objective The objective is to study the association between country of birth and incident ALS in first-generation immigrants versus Swedish-born individuals, and in second-generation immigrants versus native Swedes. Methods Study populations included all adults aged 18 years and older in Sweden, in the first-generation study 6,128,698 individuals (2,975,141 men, 3,153,557 women) with 5,344 ALS cases (3017 men, 2327 women), and in the second-generation study 4,588,845 individuals (2,346,855 men and 2,241,990 women) with 3,420 cases (2027 men and 1393 women). ALS was defined as having at least one registered diagnosis of ALS in the National Patient Register 1998–2017. The incidence of ALS in different first-generation immigrant groups versus Swedish-born individuals was assessed by Cox regression, expressed as hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The models were stratified by sex and adjusted for age, geographical residence in Sweden, educational level, marital status, and neighbourhood socioeconomic status. Results After adjusting for potential confounders, the HRs were lower in foreign-born men, 0.71 (95% CI 0.63–0.81), and women, 0.80 (95% CI 0.70–0.92). The ALS risk was lower among men and women from most Western countries (Europe outside Nordic countries, and North America), and from other regions of the world (Africa, Asia, and Latin America). Among men and women with foreign-born parents, the risk of ALS did not differ significantly from native Swedes. Significance In general, the risk of ALS was lower in first-generation men and women but did not differ in second-generation individuals.

Vitamin D Status among First-Generation Immigrants from Different Ethnic Groups and Origins: An Observational Study Using the Canadian Health Measures Survey

One in five Canadians are first-generation immigrants. Evidence suggests the baseline risk for vitamin D (vitD) deficiency is increased among immigrants who move from equatorial to northern countries. We investigated the prevalence and determinants of vitD deficiency/insufficiency among first-generation immigrants compared with native-born Canadians and identified explanatory covariables. We used a cross-sectional design with data from the national Canadian Health Measures Survey (Cycles 3 and 4) (11,579 participants aged 3–79 years). We assessed serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (S-25(OH)D) levels, sociodemographic and environmental factors, immigration status, length of time in Canada, vitD-rich food intake, ethnicity, and place of birth. Immigrants had lower mean S-25(OH)D than non-immigrants (51.23 vs. 62.72 nmol/L, p < 0.001). Those with younger age at the time of immigration (<18 years) had a high risk for low vitD, and S-25(OH)D levels increased with the length of time they had lived in Canada. The highest deficiency levels were in immigrants born in Morocco, India, and Lebanon compared with native-born Canadians. Ethnicity was the factor most strongly associated with S-25(OH)D. Compared with the white ethnic grouping, the Japanese had the highest level of vitD deficiency, followed by Arabs and Southeast Asians. Ethnic variations, dietary intake, and lifestyle factors are the main predictors of/explanatory factors for vitD status among Canadian immigrants.

Impact of the EU Blue Card programme on cultural participation and subjective well-being of migrants in Germany

The first aim of this study is to investigate the role of the EU Blue Card programme implemented in 2012 in Germany. In particular, we aim to explore the impact on the participation in cultural activities of first-generation non-European Union (EU) and non-European Economic Area (EEA) migrants, such as attendance to cinema, concerts and theatre. The second aim is to examine the impact of cultural activities on subjective well-being (SWB), measured by life satisfaction. We compare the cultural participation and life satisfaction between the treatment group that is the non-EU/EEA first-generation immigrants and the control group that consists, not only of natives and second-generation immigrants but also composes of EU/EEA first-generation immigrants who are not eligible to the programme. We will apply a sharp and a fuzzy regression discontinuity design (RDD) within a seemingly unrelated regression equations (SURE) system using the Ordered Probit method. The empirical analysis relies on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) survey over the period 2015–2018. The results show that the treated subjects experience an increase in cultural participation activities and an improvement in their SWB, as a result of the EU Blue Card programme, compared to the control group. Participation in classical music performance, opera or theatre influences more the SWB compared to other cultural activities. Policies that promote labour market integration and participation in cultural activities will enable immigrants to integrate into the social norms of the host societies and improve their SWB.

Educational Assimilation of First-Generation and Second-Generation Immigrants in Germany

Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel for 1984–2018, we analyze the intergenerational education mobility of immigrants in Germany by identifying the determinants of differences in educational stocks for first- and second-generation immigrants in comparison to individuals without a migration background. Our results show that on average, first-generation immigrants have fewer years of schooling than native-born Germans and have a disproportionate share of lower educational qualifications. This gap is strongly driven by age at immigration, with immigration age and education revealing a nonlinear relationship. While the gap is relatively small among individuals who migrate at a young age, integrating in the school system at secondary school age leads to large disadvantages. Examining the educational mobility of immigrants in Germany, we identify an inter-generational catch-up in education. The gap in education between immigrants and natives is reduced for the second generation. Finally, we find that country of origin differences can account for much of the education gap. While immigrants with an ethnic background closer to the German language and culture show the best education outcomes, immigrants from Turkey, Italy, and other southern European countries and especially the group of war refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and other MENA countries, have the lowest educational attainment.