1. Isolation and Incorporation: The Lives of Hispanic Immigrants in Asheville, North Carolina Matthew George 3 May 2005

2. Introduction  Original interest Meeting migrants in Mexico  What is life like for Hispanic immigrants in Asheville? Coping strategies Methods of adaptation

3. Methods  Formal interviews (in Spanish) and participant observation  3 sites International Link Hispanic Pentecostal Church Hispanic restaurant  Five primary informants (all names changed)  Limits of generalization

4. Hispanic Immigrants in Asheville: Who Are They?  Asheville is 3.8% Hispanic 2.2% Mexican, 0.3% Puerto Rican, 0.1% Cuban, and 1.2% Other Hispanic or Latino (2000 Census) More males than females

5. Results and Discussion 1. Temporary Labor Immigrants: Isolation and Individualism 2. The Social Function of the Church and its Implications for Immigrant Incorporation 3. Permanent Hispanic Immigrants: Two Case Studies

6. Temporary Labor Immigrants: Isolation and Individualism  Limited human capital  Enter labor market Outside ethnic enclave Little mobility  Goal oriented Send money home

7. Temporary Immigrants, cont ’ d  Social Isolation Small Hispanic community Rarely speak English Stigma  Immersion in work “60, 80, 100 hours per week” Allocate little energy to building social network

8. Temporary Immigrants, cont’d  Fatalistic outlook on life Distrust of others No alternative to lifelong hard work Rafael: Well, (laughs) I don't really like it. Pablo: We're not here to enjoy ourselves. We're here because of the necessity that we have. Matthew: If you could be anywhere, where would it be? Pablo: It doesn't matter. What matters is the work.

9. Temporary Immigrants, cont’d  Individualistic coping strategies  They talked about work. There’s work everywhere, Ignacio [the Honduran] said. Here, there, everywhere, you just have to be intelligent to find it. One of the younger Mexican women said, “All I have is these,” and she pointed to her hands and to her head.

10. The Social Function of the Church and its Implications for Immigrant Incorporation  “A Bridge Between Cultures” (Mol 1971:70) A church of “winners,” of people “who intend to compete.” (Berryman 1999:30) Success in the labor market promotes integration Worldview contrasts with isolated labor immigrants Evangelism promotes inclusiveness

11. Moral Isolation  The pastor told a strange story to his congregation, saying, “I smoke the best marijuana around. A guy asked me where I got it. Who was selling? I told him, this marijuana is from the best source. My drug is the Bible,” and he held up the Bible jauntily.  Strict moral code condemns vice  Reactive identity

12. Permanent Hispanic Immigrants: Two Case Studies  Human Capital Immigrants Arrive with greater amounts of human capital Enter professional labor market outside the ethnic enclave “Do not present a problem for the host society and they are easily acculturated and eventually assimilated” (Heisler 1992)

13. Gloria, a South American School Teacher  Experience determined by type of labor market incorporation Married an American professional before she had been in Asheville two years Found a job as a Spanish teacher Working on her Master’s Degree

14. Permanent Labor Immigrants  Arrive with few sources of human capital  Enter secondary labor market outside the ethnic enclave  Risk of exposure to negative elements of U.S. culture  Formation of linkages with U.S. society (Chavez 1991) Establishing a family Having children in the U.S. Obtaining citizenship Learning English

15. Ignacio, a Honduran Laborer  Has lived and worked unskilled jobs in Asheville for 7 years  Obtained citizenship  Married an American woman and had a child  Values friendship more and work less than temporary labor immigrants  Still plans to move back to Honduras with family

16. Conclusion  Temporary immigrants socially isolated Immersed in work Individualistic coping strategies and fatalistic outlook  The Pentecostal Church encourages both financial incorporation and moral segregation Look forward to improvement through faith and hard work  Permanent immigrants More opportunities to make social connections Labor market incorporation influences their social and economic experience

17. Questions?  Thank you

18. Acknowledgements  All who contributed their time and stories  Geri and Lule at International Link  Dr. Ben Feinberg  Dr. Siti Kusujiarti  All my friends and family