Most of the selected texts for this course have focused on the movement of people around the world and its impact on the education experience. So often, the story and details of why immigrants leave their homeland for new opportunities leaves out the nuanced sacrifices individuals make everyday. This particular article struck me as interesting because of the detailed account of what immigration looks like in reality. Nasema is not thinking about transnationalism or her contributions to globalization, but the safety of herself and children.

Houston, Texas has felt the impact of emergency immigration, at twice the normal rate this past fall (Lawrence, 2022). This influx of immigration is attributed to the end of the longest war in US history, where the American military has been present in Afghanistan for the last 20 years. We have read and discussed a good bit about what transnationalism and globalization look like in practice. This account from Nasema is an example of the transnationalism “from below,” meaning the individual effects of immigrants’ navigation. As we study and further consider transnationalism and this process of immigrant movement, we (America) are forced to think about the impact of immigration and its impact on education; for both Americans and immigrants students.

This article speaks to the assistance of resettlement agencies, those that aid in the transition for immigrants into the US and to access  basic resources for living (i.e: housing, food, clothes, etc.). YMCA International Services of Greater Houston is led by director Dario Lipovac and he explains the process of working with each individual immigrant to set up their resources (Lawrence, 2022). This article doesn’t go into detail about the introduction of immigrant children to the US educational system but we are learning about the challenges that come with adequately supporting students in navigating successful language, social, and cognitive development. 

The most significant takeaway from reading this article is better understanding the harsh realities that immigrants who are fleeing dangerous situations are doing so at the sacrifices of personal health, separation of families, and the large amount of trust in others to survive.

Reference

Lawrence, D. (2022, February 5). Afghan mom had to decide whether to forgo escape — or leave      

some of her kids behind. CNN Politics. https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/05/politics/afghan-refugees-us/index.html 

Article: The Long War over the Ukrainian Language (Peterson, 2014)

The Russo-Ukrainian War officially began late February 2014. While tensions in this war have recently escalated as President Putin of Russia launched a full invasion of Ukraine, the battle between Russia and Ukraine started a long time prior to 2014. In 1863, there was a Russian rule suspending religious and educational texts in Ukrainian in an attempt to condemn the “Little Russian” language that was formed by the “illiterate peasants” (Peterson, 2014). These attacks purposely degrade the language and identity of the Ukrainian people. Russia banned the public use of Ukrainian altogether in 1876 (Peterson, 2014). Then, during the 1920-1930s, Stalin enforced Russification, or the rewriting of dictionaries to purge the Ukrainian language from the country. 

The Ukrainian language resembles centuries of linguistic and demographic oppression. Most Ukrainians are bilingual and speak fluent Russian and Ukrainian. They are dynamic bilinguals who use both languages in different contexts and know how and when to shift languages (Proctor, 2018). Russians claim to understand Ukrainian but only do so in an attempt to demote the language to a Russian dialect. Most Russians struggle to comprehend Ukrainian and would be considered linguistic interdependent bilinguals who may be able to recognize the meaning of words due to similarities with their own language (Proctor, 2018). 

The history of the Russian versus Ukrainian languages bear similarities to how America banned the use of Native American languages and created Native American boarding schools (Homza, 2021). Russians view the Ukrainian language as being uncivilized and feel they must assimilate Ukrainians. Ukrainians on the other hand have reclaimed their culture and language and have used it to repair the broken circle of cultural loss and pain caused by Russia (Homza, 2021). Ukrainian is not simply a language; it is a culture, a social movement, complex social history, and above all, a beacon for independence.  

Homza, A. (2021). Education of Immigrant Students. https://bostoncollege.instructure.com/courses/1627913/pages/7-dot-2-key-concepts-wednesday?module_item_id=18008199

Leider, C.M., Proctor, P. & Silverman, R. (2018) Language growth trajectories: Does immigrant generation status moderate linguistic interdependence? International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. 

Peterson, B. (2014). The long war over the Ukrainian language . BostonGlobe.com. https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/03/15/the-long-war-over-ukrainian-language/HXlLbK9wVnhwGShNVPKIUP/story.html

Ukraine conflict: What we know about the invasion

We are currently in the midst of a major world event happening in Eastern Europe: the Ukraine invasion by Russian military forces on the orders of Vladimir Putin. In a televised speech last night, “Mr Putin announced a ‘military operation’ in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region” (BBC News) and explained Russia’s intervening as “self-defence” in order to “de-Nazify” the country (BBC News). Since then, Ukrainians across the country have been hearing loud bangs, taking cover, and fearing for their lives. 

When I first heard about the Ukrainian crisis, I thought back to our reading this week from Krause and Eiran, “How Human Boundaries Become State Borders.” Krause and Eiran focus on radical flank groups bringing about change in territorial disputes by Bottom-Up means. In a Bottom-Up approach, “construction and inhabitance […] by radical flank members precede state presence and authorization” (Krause & Eiran, 2018, p.485), resulting in a change in borders and control due to the state recognizing it needs to now protect the new settlement. I see something similar happening in the eastern part of Ukraine, where “Since 2014, Russian-backed separatists and Ukraine’s armed forces have been fighting a war in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in which more than 14,000 people have died” (BBC News). The Russian separatists are a radical flank group using a Bottom-Up approach to gain territory. With his announcement last night, “President Putin has now recognised the two regions held by the Russian-backed separatists as independent states and ordered Russian troops there, tearing up a peace deal” (BBC News). Russia is now seeing these radical flank group settlements as part of the Russian state and is making moves to “protect” them, resulting in a declaration of war on Ukraine. As Krause and Eiran state, “Violence and territorial control have always gone hand in hand” (Krause & Eiran, 2018, p.479). We are seeing this statement coming to life in Ukraine. 

References:

Krause, P. & Eiran, E. (2018). How Human Boundaries Become State Borders: Radical Flanks
and Territorial Control in the Modern Era. Comparative Politics, 50(4), 479-499.

Ukraine conflict: What we know about the invasion. (2022, February 24). BBC News. Retrieved
February 24, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60504334

In this module one of the guiding questions is: How can we stay true to the depth needed in research, but geographically follow the lives of immigrant populations? The video I shared is titled The Shifting Border: How Nation States Control Human Mobility. In the video, Professor Ayelet Shachar states that “If we are thinking about borders, we can’t just look at how individuals move across borders. We actually want to look at how borders themselves move to regulate mobility (TED, 2021, 1:46). The model she is suggesting is a shifting border, as opposed to a static or disappearing border. In the video she analyzes how this looks in the United States, Canada, and Australia. She has ultimately set out to comprehend how states are regulating mobility, migration, and citizenship, and how we might imagine membership, diversity, and inclusion under these new circumstances. On Youtube.com, Shachar argues that if borders are dynamic, then human rights should be equally agile.

With the increasing unknown of the “why” behind individuals’ mobility and joining new communities, it is important to have an understanding of circumstances. Despite what some may believe, it is often not financially driven. In his article “Comprehensive Immigrant Confusion,” Peter Skerry (2016) states that “Indeed, it is remarkable how few Americans display curiosity about what leads individuals to incur the considerable inconvenience and risk of moving here, especially illegally. As economic historians remind us, only a tiny fraction of the world’s population has ever left home in search of substantial economic gains.”  When there is a better understanding of individuals’ mobility, communities will have a better understanding of the notion of shifting borders and how we can better meet the needs of newcomers and their needs. Research must constantly be done in an ever changing world to understand mobility so beneficial plans and policies are in place. 

Skerry, P. (2016) Comprehensive Immigration Confusion. Article published in National Affairs. 

The Shifting Border: How Nation States Control Human Mobility. (2021, February

     9). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eoDXOzqlAY

In this video that I have shared, the speaker shares her experience as a South Indian child who moved from Los Angeles to Singapore at the age of seven.  The speaker, Smrithi, shares the impact of being a minority in a new place and the impact of the assimilation process in her life.  

In her story, she shares how her family made sure that she was immersed in her culture growing up.  Her family enrolled her in traditional dance lessons, music classes, language classes and provided her with role models from her South Indian culture.  She discussed how she felt secure in her South Indian culture, but also recognized that living in Los Angeles, she was a minority.  As a result of her parents immigrating to the United States, she would likely fit in the minority category of immigrant minority.  She would be considered an immigrant minority because she did experience language and cultural differences in her upbringing.  

At eleven years old, Smrithi and her family moved to Singapore.  Initially, she noticed the ethnic diversity and that Singapore is a nation made up of immigrants from South Asian countries, including South India.  She was surprised to be around people who looked more like  her and that her culture was more common in her new city.  In Singapore, she and her sister attended an American International school.  As Smrithi stated, “as I would soon find out, I was a majority in the city and a minority at school” (2:37).  At school, Smrithi began experiencing bullying. This caused her to begin to alter her appearance in an effort to assimilate with her peers.  She discusses straightening her curly hair and using lightening creams on her skin.  Her goal was to hide her physical South Indian traits and blend in with the Euro-centric appearance of her classmates.  Additionally, she stopped speaking her language, stopped bringing South Indian foods to school, and stopped watching South Indian movies.  At this point in her life, Smrithi still fits into the immigrant minority category, but now it is impacting her in a different way.  It is evident that she feels a significant amount of pressure to “blend in”, or assimilate, with the majority culture that existed in her school.   

References:

Ogbu, J. U. (1987) Variability in minority school performance: A problem in search of an explanation. In Anthropology & Education Quarterly Vol.18 No.4 [pp.312-334].

Elizabeth Lake- Group 4

Video: Do you feel American? Immigrant Parents vs First Generation | Middle Ground– https://youtu.be/jZA34onP-ZA

In the video I shared, immigrant parents and first generation Americans come together to discuss their experiences with ties to cultural roots, speaking different languages, in how certain topics are viewed and openly discussed in one’s culture (e.g.mental health), and parenting. All of this connects to the several challenges and perspectives that having a transnational identity may hold. 

In Louie (2006), there is mention of how important it is to consider where the “old country” is situated in the lives of immigrants and their children; and the ways in which children of immigrants relate to their parents’ experiences and views on culture can vary greatly. For instance, some first generation Americans have a strong connection to their families’ background as they may have an open dialogue with their parents about culture as well as take it upon themselves to adopt/ continue cultural practices and traditions. For other first generation Americans, it can be very difficult to relate to or understand their immigrant parent’s experiences and culture, especially when the life they have created for themselves in America does not always coincide with the generational patterns and expectations of one’s familial culture.

When these divides occur, I think it makes it a lot more challenging to see exactly where assimilation lies because while it may seem like some children of immigrants have assimilated fully to the American ways, is it really assimilation if American practices are all those children have ever known? However, even first generation Americans sometimes struggle to feel American because their identity is pulled into different directions. For example, one of the participants in the video explained how they “don’t feel Asian enough or American enough” because depending on who they are engaging with–Asian friends or American friends–they get judged on how they present themselves in either culture. Immigrant parents also go through these transnational challenges. One parent in the video said that it is not so much about him accepting America and becoming American, but that it is more so about wanting America to accept him.

Louie, V. (2006) Growing up ethnic in transnational worlds: Identities among second-generation Chinese and Dominicans. In Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power Vol.13 No.3 [363-394]

In the United States, dual-language immersion is becoming more popular. This is different than a bilingual education because in most bilingual education programs, children come from similar backgrounds and speak the same home language. In school, they are learning a second language and enhancing their skills in the home language. Conversely, in a dual-language immersion program, the student body is split evenly of what home language is spoken, and students spend half the day focusing equally on both languages. Students in both groups are engaged in learning the cultures of both languages, and students are not set apart for not being able to speak the principal language of the school. Many times, students who have immigrated or students who are born to immigrants are set apart and placed in ESL programs until they attain a level of proficiency. It is difficult for students to learn when all of the teaching happens in a language they are not familiar with, causing students to struggle. When students are able to engage in learning in the same language they speak at home, even when paired with a second language, they are more likely to embrace aspects of both the sending and receiving cultures. Additionally, dual-language immersion programs promote biliteracy, meaning that students have the ability to read and write adequately in both languages. Many students that are put into ESOL programs, especially at a young age are never given the opportunity to learn to read and write in their first language. Therefore, they may grow up to be bilingual, but cannot read and write well in their home language.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1UlcByWXNQ

As December 2021, 440 Afgani refugees arrived in Utah with the expectation of at least that many more by February. 2022. Many of these families have had extended stays in hotels and when available are able to receive apartments or homes with the assistance of basic needs in the form of food stamps. This is normally how refugees are housed, but given the significant increase the effective solutions have left many new immigrants extremely isolated and unsure how to begin living and working. However what has made a different is people in the community reaching out to welcome newcomers. Stories of people donating afgan rice, oil, and sharing meals as well as inviting some to a Persian New year had made huge differences. Often it is easy to assume the most important part of the immigration narrative is economic factors. There is also a need for social nourishment. Community organized food and other needs help connect these people to their local area. What they need beyond food and shelter is to learn how to survive in the United States, public transport, getting jobs, education ect. Part of the migration narrative that draws from the leaders is realizing that it takes a social network for people to make their journey to the destination and a social network to help them integrate. It very difficult to just drop into a new location and so friendship and connection is critical.