Suchergebnisse

AbstractWhile the concept and measurement of race has been a longstanding focus of social science research, capturing its significance requires a broader notion than utilizing only racial group categories. More recently, race has been treated as both a "characteristic" and a set of experiences that affect a multitude of life conditions and outcomes. This discussion and analysis moves away from treating race as only a categorical and static characteristic to a multi-dimensional concept that is dynamic, relational, and represents the intersection of individual, ecological, and structural components. By exploring the data collection of the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research and studies that include race as a variable, we were able to trace how race has been used by social scientists over the past 60 years. Using an extensive coding protocol, we have attained key characteristics of the principal investigator(s) (PI), funders, scope of the overall study, and the use of different measures of race. As a result, this "meta-analysis" of social science surveys enabled this researcher to examine how these studies use a wide scope of racial "variables," and the way in which PI characteristics affected the inclusion of race-related items. In addition, bivariate analysis is presented to examine social scientists' tendencies in investigating race and inclusion of qualitative examples of item wordings and response categories. This overview of social science studies is placed in the context of conceptual and measurement issues surrounding the use and meaning of race. Hopefully this can serve to advance the discussion and strategic approaches in doing research about race and what should be incorporated in studying race as a lived experience.

The significant influx of immigrants, historically and contemporarily, has had a major impact on all aspects of American society. One area that has received some attention, but warrants more, is the extent of political integration of immigrant populations. Political integration is defined as a process whereby a sense of cohesiveness, membership and attachment occurs for residents of the political community (political values, beliefs, citizen roles, etc.). Using the foreign-born segment of the National Chicano Survey, this article identifies three critical political orientations (i.e., individual/system blame, perceived discrimination, and support for collective activities) and relates them to sociocultural characteristics of the immigrants. Political integration for Mexican immigrants is a slow and uneven process. One implication of the uneveness of their political integration is the difficulty of mobilizing this segment of the Hispanic community to augment an already politically active group.

EXTENSIONS OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT IN 1970 AND 1975 EXPANDED COVERAGE TO THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES AND INCLUDED PROVISIONS FOR NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING MINORITIES. IN THE SOUTH, THE VRA HAD THE EFFECT OF INCREASING THE NUMBER OF BLACK VOTERS AND ELECTED OFFICIALS. THIS ARTICLE, EXAMINES THE CHANGES IN NUMBERS OF MEXICAN AMERICAN AND OTHER HISPANIC ELECTED OFFICIALS IN THE FIVE SOUTHWESTERN STATES FOR FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL OFFICES DURING THE ELEVEN-YEAR PERIOD OF 1973-1984. GAINS OCCURRED DURING THE PERIOD, ALTHOUGH THEY WERE UNEVEN ACROSS THE STATES AND FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF OFFICES.

The incorporation of immigrant populations into US society is examined, focusing on certain Caribbean groups: Dominicans, Haitians, & West Indians. The influx of these groups to the US mainland dates back to the 1820s, but significant flows have been noticeable only since the early 1970s. The interaction of the economic factors relevant to the residents of these Caribbean nations & to the US economy explains their migration patterns to a large degree. The immigrant incorporation process, which entails adaptation, integration, & absorption, & involves both individual adjustments & communal activities with the larger society, is described. Each group experiences this process somewhat differently: for Dominicans & West Indians, some SE mobility is evident, as well as the formation of groups to interact with majority institutions. In the case of Haitians, the issues of legal status & seeking political refugee status serve as a necessary prerequisite to moving through the incorporation process. 2 Tables. Modified HA