Migration, Marginalized Populations, and Modes of Change
Central States Anthropological Society Conference
Michigan 2002
Co-Organizers: Dianna Shandy, Macalester College
Meghan Greeley, Macalester College
Chair: Dianna Shandy, Macalester College
Globalization is a pervasive component of the contemporary world system. Rapid societal transformation is integral to these processes of change and is embodied in phenomena such as transnational migration and the radical reordering of political systems of governance. Individual papers in this panel draw on ethnographic research to explore local responses to coping with intense social, political, and economic change in Latin America and Africa. Two of the papers focus on the experience of youth in coping with significant change in the ordering of Namibian and South African societies in the wake of the dismantling of apartheid. Another paper delves into the experiences of marginalized AIDS victims in light of the recent shifts in Cuban society as it “opens” to the West. And, finally, two of the papers chart these global processes by probing experiences of transnational migration from Mexico and Kenya to the United States. One looks at this from the vantage point of migrants themselves, and another from the institutional perspective of a refugee resettlement agency. Discussants will draw upon these five different takes on the experience of migration, marginalized populations and modes of change to suggest common themes in the localization of global processes.
Participants and Abstracts
Meghan Greeley (Macalester ’02)
Young Adults in South Africa: Access, Opportunities, and Education
The lost generation phenomenon is a South African folk term used to describe those young adults approximately 19-30 years old who, as a result of the conflict that characterized the last stages of the apartheid regime, did not have access to educational opportunities. This period in South African history has created a generation of people who had the expectation of immediate jobs, opportunities for higher education, and social lives outside of the townships once apartheid had ended, yet these promises have not yet been fulfilled. The South African government and the lost generation’s own families are putting resources into preparing younger generations for the future, while these lost youth are being passed over. Lost to these young adults is the ability to participate as full members of South African society as promised to them in the struggle to overthrow the apartheid regime. However, these youth are not lost in all aspects of life. Since the overthrow of apartheid, these youth have strengthened their cultural traditions and have transformed into active members of society on that level. Ceremonies have become an important way in which these young adults are able to invest themselves in the community. Drawing upon interviews conducted in a township of Cape Town, South Africa, this paper uses a case study to demonstrate important aspects of social power as embodied by a member of the lost generation.
Coecillia Song (Macalester ’02)
Exploring the Notions of ‘Home’ and Identity after Living in Exile: The Repatriation and Reintegration of the ex-GDR Kids in Namibia.
In 1979 during Namibia's liberation struggle, eighty Namibian children were relocated to the German Democratic Republic (GDR). In 1990, in conjunction with Namibia’s independence, they were repatriated from East Germany to Namibia. Labeled the ex-GDR kids because of their mixed German and Namibian identity, it was expected that these “kids” would re-enter Namibian society and be reabsorbed without incident. In actuality, however, the ex-GDR kids encountered a series of struggles that challenged the notions of what shape identity and home. They experienced social dislocation with their new relationships, found difficulty in speaking their mother tongue fluently and adjusting to the culture. Their struggle was partly due to the fact that the Namibian government did not recognize their transnational identity and how it had been constructed across national borders.
In an attempt to transcend the category of refugee and disclaim the notion that repatriation is the end of the 'refugee cycle, this paper focuses on the repatriation experiences of Namibian returnees. By exploring the life experiences of young Namibians GDR Kids, this study focuses on how the refugee experience has transformed and created their identity. Through interviews conducted in Windhoek, Namibia, this paper aims to explore the notion of 'home' and how it changes for people who were born or have lived in exile. This paper also intends to respond to the stereotypes of repatriation and to reformulate the idea of refugee integration as an ongoing process between refugees, the host community and various external factors.
Kelly Johnson (Macalester ’02)
From Containment to Empowerment: The Strategies of Support and Treatment for HIV/AIDS in Cuba
This paper examines the status of support, treatment, and care for people living with HIV/AIDS in Cuba. Cuba is a compelling case study within the Anthropology of AIDS, due to the government's unique history of mandatory HIV testing and quarantine of people with the virus. These practices have led to a low seropositivity rate among Cubans, but current political and socio-economic changes in Cuba raise questions concerning the governments ability to control the disease in the future. In the arena of prevention, the "containment" policies seem to have created a widespread perception among Cubans that there is little risk of contracting the virus. At the same time, the growth of sex tourism has lead to increasing contact between Cubans and foreigners. In the arena of treatment and care, Cuba's economic crisis - exacerbated by the US trade embargo - has led to a shortage of food and medicine on the island. In spite of Cuba's universal public health system, AIDS drugs, such as anti-retrovirals, are scarce. In response to these changing conditions, several community-based initiatives have emerged in an attempt to improve the quality of life for Cubans with HIV/AIDS. In Havana, examples of these initiatives include mutual support groups and a community pharmacy that collects and distributes donated medicine. Both of these initiatives are in line with government policy, and HIV positive Cubans have been instrumental in designing and leading these efforts. The paper is based on ethnographic interviews that were conducted in 2001 with Cubans in Havana who are participating in these projects.
Katie Nelson (Macalester ’02)
Push Factors, Pull Factors and Social Networks:The Experience of Mexican Immigrants in Minnesota
The INS estimates that over five million undocumented immigrants currently reside in the United States, 2.7 million from Mexico alone. What makes these people leave their country, go to another and end up in one particular city in such surprising numbers is a complex mix of push and pull factors embedded in social networks. These social networks facilitate migration across the border and to a particular city, state or region once inside the United States. They also provide needed moral and social support and help in the aquisition of jobs, housing and education. Many of these networks are initially created in Mexico however they transform throughout time spent in the US and form to the changing needs of the migrants.
In much of the literature about Mexican immigrants in the United States, the pushes and pulls often seem to be purely economic in nature. This paper, based on interviews with seven Mexican migrants in the United States, demonstrates why these processes are much more complex. Using composite case studies, this paper explores several cultural survival strategies DEVELOPED THROUGH SOCIAL NETWORKS and looks at how they are local examples of a more global phenomenon of social change.
Susanna Fioratta (Macalester ’02)
Faith and Nonprofits: Religious Dynamics in Refugee Services
Thousands of people enter the United States as refugees each year, and many of the agencies responsible for resettling them in their new homes are religiously affiliated. The faith-based nature of these non-profit organizations undoubtedly plays some kind of role in the resettlement work that they do: the ways that the religious affiliation is expressed, the level at which religion figures in the interactions between the people who work for the agency and the refugees whom the agency serves, and the particular advantages and disadvantages which may arise from the agency’s religious connections are all elements of the religious dynamics at work. These dynamics in turn are part of wider issues, including the cultural transitions which refugees undergo, the sense of vocation in the people who work with refugees, and the complex bureaucratic nature of the refugee processing system and all the different agencies (some faith-based, some governmental) it encompasses.
This paper explores the question of religion’s role in refugee resettlement. Based on ethnographic research with Lutheran Social Service (LSS) refugee resettlement program in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from June through August 2001, this study shows, among other things, that religion can be a delicately treated subject in such a multicultural environment, and that while it may be a motivating factor for the individual parties concerned, this motivation is largely kept private. Furthermore, the agency’s governmental connections and sources of funding limit the extent to which it can claim a religious identity. Nevertheless, the religious dynamic of a refugee services agency, while subtle, is an undeniable presence.
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