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The Structure of Constraints: Social Networks of Immigrants from Taiwan This study looks at the social incorporation of affluent first generation immigrants from Taiwan who migrate to the deconcentrated settlement spaces of South Orange County in Southern California. Based on the socioeconomic and demographic profiles of these immigrants, it is assumed that not only will they experience economic and political integration, but also social integration into the mainstream society. At first glance, opportunities for incorporation into the larger society of the United States seem both plentiful and scarce. While some conditions facilitate integration, other circumstances work against integration. The present study aims to describe the present conditions for social integration of immigrants from Taiwan. It also discusses the nature of the incorporation process and the relation between spatial structure and social structure. Findings from ethnographic fieldwork, including 60 structured, 30 semi-structured interviews and numerous informal interviews, show that the social networks of ethnic Chinese and ethnic Taiwanese immigrants are not comparable to the densely knit, broadly-based ties linking neighbors and kin group members attributed to traditional immigrants. Instead, the social networks of immigrants with high levels of human and economic capital are based on loosely bounded, sparsely knit, and dynamic specialized ties. Recent immigrants have local networks involving less kinship, but higher numbers of former classmates and members of joint recreational associations. However, space- and time-compressing technologies still afford opportunities to maintain ties with family and friends in Taiwan as well as in other places around the globe. In addition, although immigrants from Taiwan choose to live geographically dispersed from other members of their ethnic group, they favor ethnically exclusive interaction outside their work or school environment. Numerous voluntary associations have evolved but are only weakly connected. However, membership in these religious, educational and recreational organizations fluctuates. This dissertation identifies the important structural constraints that shape the formation of personal networks of ethnic Taiwanese and ethnic Chinese immigrants from Taiwan and the degree of overlap created by these networks. Special attention is given to the implications of varying network structures for male and female immigrants on their sense of well-being and the different choices men and women make in building bridges to other social worlds. Analysis of personal network structures and the extent of connectivity between and across various subethnic community organizations is based on the notion that heterogeneity in network composition decreases while homogeneity increases the likelihood of social integration. Overall, there are few structural constraints to interaction with members of other ethnic groups in the social networks of ethnic Chinese and Taiwanese immigrants from Taiwan. However, while immigrants are economically integrated, the likelihood of social integration is not very high since immigrants rarely encounter the need to contact people outside their ethnic groups in their private lives.

AbstractThis article investigates how dispersed settlement in areas of urban sprawl affects the structure of personal networks that in turn influences the likelihood of social integration among male and female immigrants from Taiwan. Settlement in the deconcentrated spaces that currently constitute the new urban spaces of U.S. metropolitan areas potentially offers more opportunities to interact with ethnically diverse people than the traditional ethnic enclaves of inner cities. However, these spatial structures also increase dependency on cars and road systems. Findings from ethnographic fieldwork in Orange County, California, show that the social networks of affluent first generation immigrants from Taiwan are not comparable to the densely knit broadly based ties linking neighbors and kin group members traditionally attributed to immigrants.Instead, the social networks of immigrants with high levels of human and economic capital are based on loosely bounded, sparsely knit, and dynamic specialized ties. At the local level networks involve few ties to extended relatives, but a substantial amount of relationships with former classmates and members of recreational associations. However, despite good English skills and employment in diverse workplaces the number of interactions with nonimmigrants outside of work and school environments is rather small.These circumstances are experienced differently by men and women. Female immigrants consider living in the deconcentrated spaces of master‐plan communities beneficial for achieving personal contentment. They welcome the changed conditions for social interaction and enjoy the decrease in network size and frequency of contacts that result in less obligations and responsibilities compared to life back in their country of origin. Male immigrants, however, mourn the loss of opportunities to gain reputation and social recognition. They would prefer to live in areas with close spatial proximity of immigrant residences. These gendered evaluations further affect the likelihood of social integration for first generation immigrants.

Contributors: Iiris Aaltio, Irén Annus, George N. Appell, Laura W. R. Appell, Marysol Asencio, Christine Avenarius, Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, Esben Esther Pirelli Benestad, Emilio Paqcha Benites, Ilana Berger, Deborah L. Best, Harald Beyer Broch, Gwen J. Broude, Judith K. Brown, Margaret Buckner, Mary M. Cameron, Fernando Luiz Cardoso, Maria G. Cattell, Dia Cha, Janet M. Chernela, Richley H. Crapo, Susan A. Crate, William H. Crocker, Shanshan Du, Timothy Dunnigan, Carolyn Pope Edwards, Richard Ekins, Carol R. Ember, Melvin Ember, Pamela I. Erickson, Randi Ettner, Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg, William H. Fisher, Diana Fox, Mary Jo Tippeconnic Fox, Susan Tax Freeman, Rita S. Gallin, Victoria A. Goddard, Joshua S. Goldstein, Alma Gottlieb, Chien-Juh Gu, Timothy M. Hall, Katsuki Harima, Betty J. Harris, Mary Elaine Hegland, Lewellyn Hendrix, Warren M. Hern, Gabriele Herzog-Schröder, Jon Holtzman, James Howe, Armine Ishkanian, William R. Jankowiak, Robert Jarvenpa, Carol Zane Jolles, Marianne Ruth Kamp, Kaisa Kauppinen, Alice Beck Kehoe, Dave King, Laura F. Klein, Lisa Knoche, Kathleen Kuehnast, Asiye Kumru, Lynn M. Kwiatkowski, Oneka LaBennett, Mikael Landén, Lioba Lenhart, Charles Lindholm, Lamont Lindstrom, Bobbi S. Low, Judith Macdonald, Jeannette Marie Mageo, Maxine L. Margolis, Richard A. Marksbury, Frank Marlowe, Nancy McDowell, Bonnie McElhinny, Winifred Mitchell, Brian Montes, Mary H. Moran, Nuno Nodin, Barbara S. Nowak, Robin O'Brian, Regina Smith Oboler, Volodymyr P'yatokha, Lyn Parker, Jakob M. Pastötter, Julia Pauli, Sarah D. Phillips, Debra Picchi, Ulrike Prinz, Aparna Rao, Kathleen C. Riley, Paul Roscoe, Amir Rosenmann, Celia E. Rothenberg, Marilyn P. Safir, Richard Scaglion, Wulf Schiefenhövel, Alice Schlegel, Maureen Trudelle Schwarz, Edwin S. Segal, Susan C. Seymour, Audrey C. Shalinsky, Andrew N. Sharpe, Eric Kline Silverman, Daniel Jordan Smith, John R. Sosa, Allyn MacLean Stearman, Lynn Stephen, Bilinda Straight, David E. Sutton, James M. Taggart, Aud Talle, Myrna Tonkinson, Robert Tonkinson, Rebecca L. Upton, Robert A. Veneziano, Eileen Rose Walsh, William Wedenoja, Glenn E. Weisfeld, Cynthia Werner, Dennis Werner, Barbara A. West, Cynthia Whissell, Tarynn M. Witten, Felice S. Wyndham, Melissa-Ann Yeager, Xiaojian Zhao, Laura Zimmer-Tamakoshi; edited by Carol R. Ember, Melvin Ember (Deceased)

Contributors: Iiris Aaltio, Irén Annus, George N. Appell, Laura W. R. Appell, Marysol Asencio, Christine Avenarius, Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, Esben Esther Pirelli Benestad, Emilio Paqcha Benites, Ilana Berger, Deborah L. Best, Harald Beyer Broch, Gwen J. Broude, Judith K. Brown, Margaret Buckner, Mary M. Cameron, Fernando Luiz Cardoso, Maria G. Cattell, Dia Cha, Janet M. Chernela, Richley H. Crapo, Susan A. Crate, William H. Crocker, Shanshan Du, Timothy Dunnigan, Carolyn Pope Edwards, Richard Ekins, Carol R. Ember, Melvin Ember, Pamela I. Erickson, Randi Ettner, Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg, William H. Fisher, Diana Fox, Mary Jo Tippeconnic Fox, Susan Tax Freeman, Rita S. Gallin, Victoria A. Goddard, Joshua S. Goldstein, Alma Gottlieb, Chien-Juh Gu, Timothy M. Hall, Katsuki Harima, Betty J. Harris, Mary Elaine Hegland, Lewellyn Hendrix, Warren M. Hern, Gabriele Herzog-Schröder, Jon Holtzman, James Howe, Armine Ishkanian, William R. Jankowiak, Robert Jarvenpa, Carol Zane Jolles, Marianne Ruth Kamp, Kaisa Kauppinen, Alice Beck Kehoe, Dave King, Laura F. Klein, Lisa Knoche, Kathleen Kuehnast, Asiye Kumru, Lynn M. Kwiatkowski, Oneka LaBennett, Mikael Landén, Lioba Lenhart, Charles Lindholm, Lamont Lindstrom, Bobbi S. Low, Judith Macdonald, Jeannette Marie Mageo, Maxine L. Margolis, Richard A. Marksbury, Frank Marlowe, Nancy McDowell, Bonnie McElhinny, Winifred Mitchell, Brian Montes, Mary H. Moran, Nuno Nodin, Barbara S. Nowak, Robin O'Brian, Regina Smith Oboler, Volodymyr P'yatokha, Lyn Parker, Jakob M. Pastötter, Julia Pauli, Sarah D. Phillips, Debra Picchi, Ulrike Prinz, Aparna Rao, Kathleen C. Riley, Paul Roscoe, Amir Rosenmann, Celia E. Rothenberg, Marilyn P. Safir, Richard Scaglion, Wulf Schiefenhövel, Alice Schlegel, Maureen Trudelle Schwarz, Edwin S. Segal, Susan C. Seymour, Audrey C. Shalinsky, Andrew N. Sharpe, Eric Kline Silverman, Daniel Jordan Smith, John R. Sosa, Allyn MacLean Stearman, Lynn Stephen, Bilinda Straight, David E. Sutton, James M. Taggart, Aud Talle, Myrna Tonkinson, Robert Tonkinson, Rebecca L. Upton, Robert A. Veneziano, Eileen Rose Walsh, William Wedenoja, Glenn E. Weisfeld, Cynthia Werner, Dennis Werner, Barbara A. West, Cynthia Whissell, Tarynn M. Witten, Felice S. Wyndham, Melissa-Ann Yeager, Xiaojian Zhao, Laura Zimmer-Tamakoshi; edited by Carol R. Ember, Melvin Ember (Deceased)