Betwixt and Between: How first-generation immigrant Africans in Pittsburgh use social capital and transnational phenomena to cross cultures to find belonging.

Dyer, Ervin (2012) Betwixt and Between: How first-generation immigrant Africans in Pittsburgh use social capital and transnational phenomena to cross cultures to find belonging. Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

In this thesis, I examine the notion of “betwixt and between,” or rather the concept of how first-generation African immigrants constantly travel across cultures. More first-generation African immigrants are living in the Pittsburgh community than ever before. In this emerging diaspora community, we are able see their cross-cultural flows between their homeland and hostland cultures. I argue that being betwixt and between allows the first-generation immigrant to flow amid materials, habits, and languages to find belonging and attachment. The flow between cultures is transnational – it is an exchange of space and materials, images, ideas and values that moves across nation-state boundaries. The flow of betwixt and between is set in motion by the search for social capital, which allows the first-generation immigrant to simultaneously hold on to the old – the ways of the home country – while building attachment to the new – the host country. My work is qualitative and ethnographic, using in-depth interviews and observations and is drawn from a sample of six nationalities, both genders, and diverse educational and socio-economic backgrounds that create the quilt of immigrant African society in Pittsburgh.

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Details

Item Type:	University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status:	Unpublished
Creators/Authors:	Creators Email Pitt Username ORCID Dyer, Ervin Edyer@pitt.edu EDYER
ETD Committee:	Title Member Email Address Pitt Username ORCID Committee Chair Hashimoto, Akiko ahash@pitt.ed Committee Member Blee, Kathleen blee@pitt.edu BLEE Committee Member Bamyeh, Muhammad bamyeh@pitt.edu BAMYEH
Date:	18 January 2012
Date Type:	Publication
Defense Date:	22 August 2011
Approval Date:	18 January 2012
Submission Date:	2 December 2011
Access Restriction:	No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Number of Pages:	98
Institution:	University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs:	Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Sociology
Degree:	MA - Master of Arts
Thesis Type:	Master's Thesis
Refereed:	Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:	immigration, social capital, transnational
Date Deposited:	18 Jan 2012 18:56
Last Modified:	15 Nov 2016 13:55
URI:	http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/10535

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• Betwixt and Between: How first-generation immigrant Africans in Pittsburgh use social capital and transnational phenomena to cross cultures to find belonging. (deposited 18 Jan 2012 18:56) [Currently Displayed]

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