Journal article
Old dreams, new realities: Symbolic capital and identity development among DR Congo migrants
Diaspora, indigenous and minority education, Vol.15(3), pp.180-192
07/03/2021
DOI: 10.1080/15595692.2021.1954613
Abstract
Immigrants and refugees from the Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo represent one of the largest migrant groups coming to the U.S. Yet little has been written about this unique group of migrants, particularly regarding their experiences of identity development and cultural integration. Therefore, this paper critically investigates how migrants from DR Congo conceptualize their lives in the U.S. We use notions of identity and language investment as defined by Norton as well as Bourdieu's concepts of cultural, social, and linguistic capital to analyze interview data from 15 migrants currently living in a small community in the Midwest. Using the tools of qualitative data analysis we argue that while DR Congo migrants believe acquiring various forms of capital will help them achieve their imagined identities, their new experiences are burdened with unforeseen obstacles, both obvious and hidden, which impede the process of integration into U.S. society.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Old dreams, new realities: Symbolic capital and identity development among DR Congo migrants
- Creators
- Darrin Hetrick - University of IowaEmny Nicole Batista de Sousa Bernini - Universidade Federal da ParaibaDavid Cassels Johnson - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Diaspora, indigenous and minority education, Vol.15(3), pp.180-192
- Publisher
- Routledge
- DOI
- 10.1080/15595692.2021.1954613
- ISSN
- 1559-5692
- eISSN
- 1559-5706
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 07/03/2021
- Academic Unit
- Teaching and Learning; Public Policy Center (Archive); Center for Social Science Innovation
- Record Identifier
- 9984283719502771
Metrics
7 Record Views