Suchergebnisse

Drawing from in-depth fieldwork in the city and looking closely at events such as the Elian Gonzalez case, this text examines interactions between immigrants and established Americans in Miami to address fundamental questions of American identity and multiculturalism

Buddha Is Hiding: Refugees, Citizenship, the New America. Aiwha Ong. California Series in Public Anthropology. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003. 333 pp. Immigrants, Welfare Reform, and the Poverty of Policy. Philip Kretsedemas and Ana Aparacio, eds. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2004. 303 pp. Remaking the American Mainstream: Assimilation and Contemporary Immigration. Richard Alba and Victor Nee. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003. 359 pp.

Beginning in the late 1970s and early 1980s, significant numbers of Haitian immigrants began to arrive and settle in Miami. Overcoming some of the most foreboding obstacles ever to face immigrants in America, they, their children, and now their grandchildren, as well as more recently arriving immigrants from Haiti, have diversified socioeconomically. Together, they have made South Florida home to the largest population of native-born Haitians and diasporic Haitians outside of the Caribbean and one of the most significant Caribbean immigrant communities in the world. Religion has played a central role in making all of this happen. Crossing the Water and Keeping the Faith is a historical and ethnographic study of Haitian religion in immigrant communities, based on fieldwork in both Miami and Haiti, as well as extensive archival research. Where many studies of Haitian religion limit themselves to one faith, Rey and Stepick explore Catholicism, Protestantism, and Vodou in conversation with one another, suggesting that despite the differences between these practices, the three faiths ultimately create a sense of unity, fulfillment, and self-worth in Haitian communities. This meticulously researched and vibrantly written book contributes to the growing body of literature on religion among new immigrants, as well as providing a rich exploration of Haitian faith communities.

Based on a random sample survey of recently arrived Haitians, participant observation, and intensive interviewing, this article examines the following areas: a) individual background characteristics of Haitian immigrants; b) their arrival and early resettlement experiences; c) their education, knowledge of English and information about the United States; d) current employment status and occupation; e) income and use of public assistance; f) predictors of employment, occupation, and income; and g) beliefs and orientations. These results are presented after discussion of the methodology of the study and the context of out-migration from Haiti.