Discourses of Contraction in the Spatialization of Whiteness

Agricultural communities increasingly have become sites of struggle over identity, belonging and citizenship. While historically the relationship between race and space has been one of segregation and displacement, investigations of these sites of (im)migration reveal new discursive relationships and particular manifestations of whiteness. Adopting a spatial framework, this ethnographic study seeks to de-essentialize whiteneness through an exploration of discourses of contraction articulated by members of a farm community. Contraction refers to white residents’ representation of “Hispanicness” as spreading throughout (and threatening) “their” town, specifically commercial and educational spaces. The implications of contraction include the re-consolidation of white privilege as the “minority” group within a context of spatial integration.     

Political Socialization of International Students: Public-Issue Discourse and Discussion on the College Campus

ABSTRACT

This study examined international students’ interests in public issues in the U.S. and motivational factors behind their discourse or avoidance of such issues. In-depth interviews with international students revealed that they discuss certain public issues in the U.S. to gain or exchange information and knowledge, because these issues are relevant to themselves and others, or due to the misconceptions that others have about their country. Moreover, international students tend to avoid certain public issues because of the level of their knowledge and lack of interest in such issues and in order to avoid dissonance caused by the public issues.     

Korean wave: Enjoyment factors of Korean dramas in the U.S.

From a disposition theory perspective, successful dramas are driven by the development of strong dispositions towards characters. Thus, disposition theory logic is used to predict the enjoyment of American viewers when watching two different Korean dramas (Personal Preference and Secret Garden). The influence of sex, affective dispositions, empathy, open-mindedness, and past exposure to Korean culture on audience enjoyment is measured. The findings support the basic premise of disposition theory that the development of strong dispositions towards characters is needed in order to develop emotional responses necessary for successful dramas. Disposition theory can be used to explain viewing dispositions in order to predict enjoyment cross-culturally.     

The Impact of Narratives on Attitudes toward Muslim Immigrants in the U.S.

ABSTRACT

This study examined the impact of narratives on attitudes toward Muslim immigrants in the U.S. Based on a 2 (content: acceptance vs. rejection) × 2 (narrator: Muslim vs. American) plus control condition design, 479 participants read one of five messages. More contact and positive attribution toward Muslim immigrants was associated less threat and exclusion. The American narrator telling a rejection narrative was the most disliked and received little empathy. Overall, narratives describing Muslim immigrants’ experience of rejection were more impactful on participant intention to engage in pro-social behaviours. This study discussed the implications of narratives in bias reduction efforts.     

A comparison of sex differences in career and achievement motivation in Iran and the U.S.

Differences in career and achievement motivation of U.S. and Iranian male and female college and high school students were compared, employing recently developed cross-cultural methodology. Of particular interest was the differential shift in achievement orientation at different age levels in the two cultural samples. Whereas achieving and career orientations were found to be higher in the U.S. college than in U.S. high school samples, the reverse was true in the Iranian samples. Compatible with observations made elsewhere, this suggests that age-related waxing and waning of achieving orientations occur in different cycles in different cultures. Also of interest was that the culture main effect was not significant but that the culture × sex interaction was. Thus, overall, achieving orientations between the culture samples were not different but Iranian males and females exhibited greater differences in achieving orientations than did U.S. subjects, as was predicted.     

Borders and Intersections of Possibility: Multilingual Repertoires of Refugee Families in the Southwest U.S.

This study examines the linguistic and cultural intersections of recently arrived Somali Bantu refugee students in South Texas through the lens of border theory. The use of Spanish in the homes of refugee families is explored in addition to ways in which an educator used testimonios to honor students’ migration experiences. Findings show how specific approaches used in schools that affirm both the receiving communities’ and the new arrivals' local knowledge can have a lasting impact on literacy acquisition and resettlement experiences. Findings from this study also illuminate the potential impact of educators who develop a critical, inquiry stance by embedding multiple entry points for students to cross social, cultural, linguistic, and curricular borders in school.     

Development communication expectations in occupational contexts: A Comparison of U.S. and foreign graduate students

This study focuses on the communication approaches used by experts in development. In line with recent “paradigm shift” issues, this study asks whether foreign and U.S. graduate students have inculcated alternative communication approaches instead of, or in addition to, the predominant “top to bottom” communication approach in their occupational communication roles. A total of 24 foreign and 23 U.S. graduate students from various departments at the University of Washington were asked to describe their expected communication with contact groups above, at the same and at lower status levels. All graduate students showed a marked tendency to exhibit “top to bottom” approaches with contacts of lower status and alternative communication approaches (i.e., bottom to top or interactive) only with peers. Few differences were found between U.S. and foreign, but those that were found were attributed to differing societal and occupational structures. Discussion focused on the lack of a coherent communication approach showing inculcation of more user oriented approaches suggested by the “paradigm shift.”     

The Uses and Gratifications of Language in Social Media among the Indian Subcontinental Diaspora in the U.S.

This study examines the uses and gratifications of language in social media among the Indian subcontinental diaspora in the United States, based on data collected from an online survey of 535 adult immigrants following a snowballing technique. Results showed the use of native language is related to the use of home country media, while the use of English language is related to emotional adjustment. This study contributes to the literature on social media, community, and language preference by opening avenues for conducting further research on the usage of language in social media among the Indian subcontinental diaspora in the United States. The findings of this study contribute to an understanding of the influence of social media on language preference.     

Diversity in the ethnic media audience: A study of Spanish language broadcast preference in the U.S.

The present study hypothesized that the media use and preference of ethnic minorities may not be due solely to language ability or level of acculturation, but rather may be role specific. Individuals assume several different roles in the course of the average day and media use may reflect the expectations associated with these roles. It was further hypothesized that radio, which can be used in a wide variety of situational settings, would yield different typologies of people who preferred ethnic language stations. However, television, which is generally viewed just at home, was conceived of as more likely to yield a homogeneous user group. Data from 993 Mexican-Americans living in the Southwestern U.S. conformed to these expectations. Two distinct profiles of Mexican-Americans who preferred Spanish language radio were created. However, only one profile of Hispanics who preferred Spanish language television emerged. The findings have important implications for theory regarding the role media plays in the lives of immigrants and ethnic minorities as well as for practitioners designing communication messages for ethnic audiences.     

Self-Disclosure and Emotional Closeness in Intracultural Friendships: A Cross-Cultural Comparison among U.S. Americans and Romanians

This study investigates the cultural differences in self-disclosure and emotional closeness in intracultual friendships in U.S. and Romanian cultures. Results show that culture has a significant effect on the intent of self-disclosure and emotional closeness. First, Americans are found to disclose in a greater intent than Romanians to their friends, but the two cultures do not differ in other dimensions of self-disclosure. Second, Romanians are found to perceive a greater level of emotional closeness in intracultural friendships than Americans. Last, honesty/accuracy and intent of self-disclosure predict emotional closeness in Romania, but none of the dimensions of self-disclosure predicts emotional closeness in the United States.     

When worlds collide: Academic adjustment of Somali Bantu students with limited formal education in a U.S. elementary school

This paper reports on the findings of a two-year ethnographic study of newly arrived Somali Bantu refugee students in a U.S. elementary school (K-6) in Chicago. These data paint a detailed picture of students’ behavioral and academic adjustment to school, and the drivers behind “behavioral incidents” (instances when children’s behavior presented a problem for school staff) and their academic engagement or disengagement. Bantu students required a degree of flexibility and accommodation from their teachers, whose attitudes toward acculturation could generally be characterized as “assimilationist” (requiring students to conform to U.S. culture and school rules) or “multicultural” (respecting and accepting the students expressing their heritage culture at the school). This study illustrates the difficulties faced by refugee students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) when adjusting to U.S. schools, and the pressures placed on teachers and other school staff. Strategies used by teachers in working with SLIFE are described. These findings also extend the literature on the academic engagement of immigrants to this group of SLIFE. In this study, SLIFE were disengaged not because of disinterest or resisting adult expectations at school but because they were unfamiliar with the culture of schooling and did not have the academic background necessary to complete school tasks. The study also illustrates the need to provide schools with adequate support to accommodate the needs of SLIFE.     

Self-rated health,gender, and acculturative stress among immigrants in the U.S.: New roles for social support

BackgroundBased on different outcomes, immigrants to the U.S. may experience a decline in health with length of time or acculturation. Acculturative stress is often applied as an explanation for these changes and may be impacted by social supports and social networks, but more information is needed on the specific role of each. Thus far little research has examined acculturative stress and health by both ethnicity and gender.MethodsDrawing on the 2002–2003 National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS), we examine data on a nationally-representative sample of foreign-born Latino (N = 1,627) and Asian (N = 1,638) adults living in the United States. We examine relationships between acculturative stress and self-rated physical and mental health, as well as the potential role of social support factors, with a primary focus on gender.ResultsAs a group Latinos report more acculturative stress than Asians. However, among Latino immigrants acculturative stress has no association with health, and for Asian immigrants there is an association with physical health among women and mental health among men – but only the latter persisted after adjusting for controls. We do find that among Latino men and women, acculturative stress is health damaging when specific types of social support are low but can even be health promoting at higher support levels.DiscussionWhile self-rated health differs among immigrant groups, we find that acculturative stress may not be the primary driving force behind these differences, but interacts with specific elements of social support to produce unique impacts on health by gender and ethnicity.     

Research on attitude change in U.S. students who participate in foreign study experiences: Past findings and suggestions for future research

Little research has been conducted on attitude change in U.S. students who participate in foreign study experiences. This is especially disconcerting given the number of programs available and participants involved. This research review includes five studies utilizing one-time questioning of program participants and 15 articles employing analysis of pre- and postsojourn questionnaires. Unfortunately, attitude change is seldom verified empirically in these works. Possible explanations include loosely structured experimental designs, infrequent use of follow-up studies, the lack of an established theoretical base, and perhaps most importantly, the lack of a consensus concerning what to measure. Suggestions for future research include: the study of specific variables thought to facilitate attitude change, analysis of subgroups of students similar on a particular characteristic or ability, and measurement of behavioral competencies.     

Warranting theory,stereotypes, and intercultural communication: U.S. Americans’ perceptions of a target Chinese on Facebook

Extending prior literature on stereotypes about ethnic groups and warranting theory, this experimental study examined the effects of exposure to a target Chinese international student’s Facebook page with self-generated (stereotypically positive or negative) and/or other-generated wall posts (stereotypically positive or negative) on U.S. participants’ (N = 550, Mage = 21.38, SD = 3.82) perceptions of task attractiveness and behavioral tendencies (i.e., willingness to communicate/ cooperate) toward the target. Supporting warranting theory, results demonstrated that when other-generated posts were present and disconfirmed the Facebook page owner’s self-generated posts, other-generated posts mitigated the effects of self-generated posts in most cases. However, when other-generated and self-generated wall posts were consistent, other-generated posts produced an averaging effect. In addition, the type of dependent measure, and the dynamic interplay between stereotype content and the valence of self-generated posts also mitigated the warranting effect of other-generated posts.     

When culture and the law clash: A primer on the extraterritorial implications of U.S. anti-discrimination rules and regulations

The rapid globalization of U.S. business has generated many questions about the extraterritorial implications of U.S. anti-discrimination rules and regulations. This paper provides an introduction to the relevant statutes and related case law that govern the extraterritorial responsibilities of U.S. companies with interests in foreign firms. Particular attention is paid to the extraterritorial requirements of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, including important amendments to the Act added when Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1991. This paper also describes the defenses U.S. firms can use to insulate themselves from the extraterritorial requirements of these rules and regulations as well as issues and problems created when the cultural norms and customs of foreign countries clash with U.S. law. Suggestions are then made about how U.S. firms can meaningfully comply with the extraterritorial requirements of U.S. anti-discrimination rules and regulations. Finally, the paper examines legal and organizational issues that require further clarification and interpretation.     

Team processes, team conflict, team outcomes, and gender: An examination of U.S. and Mexican learning teams

Team learning is growing rapidly in popularity in United States (U.S.) and Mexican universities. This instructional approach consists of using learning teams in which participants are required to work together regularly for a semester period of time and produce evaluated team outcomes. These team outcomes, along with their individual performance, have a significant impact on each individual's final assessment. We compare team processes, team conflict, team outcomes, and gender interaction in Mexican and U.S. student teams. U.S. teams report more team-oriented behavior and more cohesiveness, and Mexican teams report more self-oriented behavior and more conflict. Nationality (United States or Mexico) has a moderating effect on the relationship between gender heterogeneity and cohesiveness and conflict. Suggestions are given for applications and future research.