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341. How are language constructions constitutive? Strategic uses of conventional discourses about immigration

Author:
Claudia Strauss
Publication Date:
04-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of International Relations and Development
Institution:
Central and East European International Studies Association
Abstract:
Metaphor theorists often state that metaphors are constitutive of thought and action. This article asks how language constructions are constitutive of policy, using the example of immigration policies in the United States. First, the claims of some metaphor analysts are scrutinised. Then a different approach is proposed, one that focuses on formulaic, oft-repeated schemas, or conventional discourses. Conventional discourses are not the same as Foucauldian discursive frameworks. Instead, they are stock rhetorical-interpretive frameworks. For policymakers they serve as mental shortcuts and political identity signals. Political speeches are constructed from multiple conventional discourses; 18 conventional discourses about immigration were drawn upon in just one Congressional debate. Their variety and numbers indicate the possibilities for differing policy emphases. Such constructions, including the formulaic metaphors that are typical of a particular conventional discourse, are constitutive in only a limited sense; they are suggestive without being determinative. Skilful politicians can creatively combine conventional discourses with rhetorical strategies of concession, springboarding, and co-optation to align with multiple constituencies, including ones on opposing sides of an issue. These points are illustrated with the example of U.S. Congressional debate about HR 4437, the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005.
Topic:
Politics and Immigration
Political Geography:
United States

342. America's Patriotic Assimilation System Is Broken

Author:
John Fonte and Althea Nagai
Publication Date:
04-2013
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Hudson Institute
Abstract:
Quantitative analysis of Harris Interactive Survey reveals that the patriotic assimilation of immigrants to American identity is weak and ambivalent. As Congress debates immigration reform legislation many argue that "our immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed." Perhaps. This quantitative analysis of Harris Interactive survey data however (originally commissioned by the Bradley Foundation Project on American National Identity) suggests that our patriotic assimilation system is also broken and needs to be fixed.
Topic:
Civil Society, Political Theory, and Immigration
Political Geography:
America and Germany

343. How to Repair the U.S. Asylum and Refugee Resettlement Systems

Publication Date:
12-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Human Rights First
Abstract:
The Obama Administration, as it embarks on its second term, should reaffirm U.S. leadership on the protection of refugees by repairing flaws in the U.S. asylum and resettlement systems. Many of these flaws have persisted for years, undermining U.S. leadership and leaving refugees in difficult and vulnerable situations. The White House should lead this effort and launch stronger mechanisms to safeguard protection throughout U.S. agencies. The administration should also look for opportunities to move some of these repairs forward in concert with broader immigration reform initiatives.
Topic:
Human Rights, Immigration, and Governance
Political Geography:
United States

344. How to Repair the U.S. Immigration Detention System

Publication Date:
12-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Human Rights First
Abstract:
As the Obama Administration embarks on its second term and recommits itself to immigration reform, it should prioritize its commitment to transform the immigration detention system . In 2009, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) committed to overhaul the U.S. immigration detention system and shift it away from its longtime reliance on jails and jail-like facilities. Since that time, ICE has taken steps to address some of the problems in the existing system. It has, for example, hired onsite detention service managers to improve oversight, implemented new parole guidance for arriving asylum seekers, and streamlined the process for detainee health care treatment authorization. It has also taken a number of steps towards a broader transformation of the system, such as opening a “model” civil detention facility in Karnes County, Texas, that offers conditions more appropriate for immigration detainees.
Topic:
Immigration, Governance, Law Enforcement, Law, and Reform
Political Geography:
United States

345. Integration of Low-Skilled Immigrants to the United-States and Work-Family Balance

Author:
Magali Girard
Publication Date:
03-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Institute of European Studies (IES), UC Berkeley
Abstract:
The role played by immigrants in the American economy is well documented and, to a lesser extent, the effect of the migration experience on the families of immigrants. However, little is known of the connections between work and family when it comes to immigrants, especially immigrants in low-skilled jobs, whether it is the effect of labour market experiences on the family or the effect of family patterns on integration into the labour market. Yet, the issue of balancing personal life with professional responsibilities is of growing interest among scholars and policy makers, given the increasing participation of women in the labour market, the increase in non-standard work and the high proportion of immigrants in these work arrangements.
Topic:
Economics, Political Economy, Labor Issues, and Immigration
Political Geography:
United States

346. Welfare State Integration of Immigrants: the Case of Germany

Author:
Friedrich Heckmann
Publication Date:
03-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Institute of European Studies (IES), UC Berkeley
Abstract:
Why does Germany– in contrast to the US– have a system of integration policies? I begin with the hypothesis that societies have certain basic ways of securing general macro – social, societal integration and of tackling social problems and tensions. These modes of dealing with tensions and social problems derive from fundamental principles and values of the social order. In the tradition of the German welfare state philosophy starting with Bismarck, the contemporary Soziale Marktwirtschaft is a system of economic, social and political relations that is a basic element of the social order in Germany: an interventionist welfare state to reduce tensions and to help provide social security, social justice and improve opportunities for disadvantaged groups and in general to prevent social exclusion.
Topic:
Poverty, Immigration, and Governance
Political Geography:
America, Europe, and Germany

347. Managing Migration and Integration: Europe and the US

Author:
Philip Martin
Publication Date:
03-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Institute of European Studies (IES), UC Berkeley
Abstract:
Most Americans and Europeans in opinion polls say that governments are doing a poor job of selecting wanted newcomers, preventing the entry and stay of unwanted foreigners, and integrating settled immigrants and their children. This seminar reviewed the evidence, asking about the economic and socio-political integration of low-skilled immigrants and their children.
Topic:
Economics, Migration, Immigration, Governance, and Law Enforcement
Political Geography:
United States, America, and Europe

348. Chinese in Georgia

Author:
Jiayi Zhou
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI)
Abstract:
In the two decades after independence, Georgia's open economy and lax immigration policies have engendered, for the first time, immigration from far outside of the region. On the streets of Tbilisi, the most conspicuous of these migrants are from India, China, and the countries of Africa. Of those from India, a substantial number are students of medicine, or enrolled in other professional courses. Africans in Georgia are mostly driven by work opportunity with a few students in higher education institutions. Chinese immigrants, on the other hand, are almost entirely driven by economic opportunities. A modern Chinese presence in Georgia began in the 1990s with the beginning of Chinese state-owned investment ventures in the region, as well as a burgeoning restaurant scene. In 2000s, this expanded to encompass a trickle and then an influx of Chinese migrant shop owners and market vendors. The third wave of migration occurred in 2010 as a result of contract construction workers. As of today, there are around 1,000 Chinese now divided into five groups: specialists, businessmen, shopkeepers, contract workers, and those in the restaurant and catering sector. This paper will focus on the history of Chinese migrants in Georgia, driving causes, their level of integration (or lack thereof), vulnerabilities, and their status in Georgian society. It will also cover increasingly large-scale economic ventures in the country, the status of Chinese as a foreign language in Georgia, and the role of the PRC Embassy in the Chinese community.
Topic:
Economics, Migration, Immigration, and Minorities
Political Geography:
Africa, China, Europe, Asia, and Georgia

349. Engaging African diasporas for peace: cornerstones for an emerging EU agenda

Author:
Judith Vorrath
Publication Date:
06-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
European Union Institute for Security Studies
Abstract:
Over the last decade, researchers and policy-makers have paid increasing attention to diasporas. They have focused on diasporas not merely as a challenge, but as a source of largely untapped potential. Their transnational nature and peculiar position as non-state actors linking host and home countries has been identified as an important basis for engagement. Diaspora groups from sub-Saharan Africa in Europe, which according to a 2008 Council of Europe parliamentary report on immigration are roughly estimated to comprise between 3.5 and 8 million people, are not only a relevant force, but often come from homelands that have experienced or are still facing armed conflict. Against this background, this Occasional Paper addresses the question of what contribution diaspora communities can make to promoting peace in their homelands and how the European Union can engage with African diasporas in the field of peace and security.
Topic:
Development, Globalization, Migration, Diaspora, and Immigration
Political Geography:
Africa and Europe

350. Latino Immigrant Entrepreneurs: How to Capitalize on Their Economic Potential

Author:
Alexandra Starr
Publication Date:
07-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Council on Foreign Relations
Abstract:
Latino immigrant entrepreneurs are making important contributions to the U.S. economy. They have founded highly successful companies in the frozen food, construction, financial services, and high-tech industries. Many of these companies owe their success to cultural connections with Latin American markets abroad and U.S. Latino consumers at home—markets that are set to grow rapidly in the coming years. Small-scale Latino immigrant entrepreneurs, meanwhile, have helped revitalize city commercial strips and small-town Main Streets across the country.
Topic:
Economics, Government, Markets, and Immigration
Political Geography:
Latin America