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The Lebanese Diaspora: an Exploration of Assimilation and Success in the United States Elissa Haddad University of San Diego

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The Lebanese Diaspora: an Exploration of Assimilation and Success in the United States Elissa Haddad University of San Diego View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of San Diego University of San Diego Digital USD Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2018-05-20 The Lebanese Diaspora: An Exploration of Assimilation and Success in the United States Elissa Haddad University of San Diego Follow this and additional works at: https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations Part of the Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post- Colonial Studies Commons, and the Sociology of Culture Commons Digital USD Citation Haddad, Elissa, "The Lebanese Diaspora: An Exploration of Assimilation and Success in the United States" (2018). Dissertations. 103. https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations/103 This Dissertation: Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Digital USD. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital USD. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE LEBANESE DIASPORA: AN EXPLORATION OF ASSIMILATION AND SUCCESS IN THE UNITED STATES by Elissa Haddad A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2018 Dissertation Committee Afsaneh Nahavandi, PhD Fred J. Galloway, EdD Juan Roche, PhD University of San Diego Copyright/Blank page University of San Diego School of Leadership and Education Sciences CANDIDATE’S NAME: Elissa Haddad TITLE OF DISSERTATION: THE LEBANESE DIASPORA: AN EXPLORATION OF ASSIMILATION AND SUCCESS IN THE UNITED STATES APPROVAL: _____________________________________, Chair Afsaneh Nahavandi, PhD _____________________________________, Member Fred J. Galloway, EdD _____________________________________, Member Juan Roche, PhD DATE: March 12, 2018 ABSTRACT Starting in the mid-nineteenth century, people from Lebanon began moving in large numbers to North and South America, Africa and Northern Europe. Today, the Lebanese diaspora is estimated to be around 14 million people. Many Lebanese entrepreneurs worldwide have proven to be very successful in a variety of contexts. However, while there is evidence suggesting that the Lebanese diaspora has been among the most successful around the world, the reasons for this success have not yet been systematically studied. For this reason, there is a pressing need for studies that identify and examine the individual and cultural factors that may contribute to the success of this diaspora. Relying on theories of cultural values and individual resilience, this study examined individuals who make up the Lebanese diaspora in the United States. In this study, 398 members of the Lebanese diaspora participated in a quantitative survey that included 80 questions. Findings indicated that gender and time spent in Lebanon affect cultural values and success. This study further validated the research on the cultural antecedents of resilience. Findings showed that assimilation, competition, superiority, uncertainty acceptance and impulse control are positively correlated with resilience. Additionally, it shed light on the degree to which Lebanese cultural values impact the success of the Lebanese diaspora. Findings showed that the ability to assimilate has a positive effect on income. This study also contributed to the existing literature on cultural research in that it investigated the relationship among various cultural variables. Results indicated that uncertainty acceptance has a positive effect on the ability to assimilate. Another contribution to the literature is related to the relationship among various success outcomes. This study found that happiness contributes to income and job value. Researcher subjectivity, psychometric properties of the survey instrument and generalizability are important considerations in this study. However, this study contributes to our understanding of the demographic and personal factors that have contributed to the considerable success of the Lebanese diaspora. The findings can also shed some light on the success and experiences of other immigrant groups and can add significant knowledge to the field of migration studies. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... xiii LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... xviii CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY .............................................................1 Background to the Study ..........................................................................................1 Geographic Location and Spoken Languages ..............................................1 Religions in Lebanon ...................................................................................2 Cultural Values in Lebanon .........................................................................3 Adversity and Instability in Lebanon ...........................................................4 Lebanon’s Recent History............................................................................4 Waves of Migration .....................................................................................8 Theoretical Frame ....................................................................................................9 Statement of the Problem.......................................................................................13 Purpose of the Study .............................................................................................14 Research Questions ................................................................................................15 CHAPTER TWO: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .................................................18 Implications of Culture ..........................................................................................19 Cultural Values Framework ...................................................................................21 Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions ................................................................21 Power distance ..............................................................................21 Individualism versus collectivism ................................................23 Masculinity versus femininity ......................................................25 vi Uncertainty avoidance versus uncertainty acceptance ...................25 Indulgence versus restraint ............................................................27 Triple Package Theory ...............................................................................27 Superiority .....................................................................................27 Insecurity........................................................................................29 Impulse Control..............................................................................31 Pilot Study ................................................................................................. 32 Participants and data collection procedures ...................................32 Data analysis and findings .............................................................33 Discussion ......................................................................................35 Learning ............................................................................35 Adversity............................................................................35 Assimilation .......................................................................36 A strong sense of being worthy .........................................37 A deep fear of failure .........................................................37 Theories of Resilience............................................................................................38 Concept Definitions ...................................................................................38 Defining Attributes ....................................................................................39 Antecedents and Consequences ................................................................ 41 Similar Concept .........................................................................................43 Resilience Scales ........................................................................................44 Relationship Between Culture and Resilience .......................................................45 Defining Success ....................................................................................................46 vii Income and Educational Attainment ..........................................................46 Job value ....................................................................................................48 Remittances sent ....................................................................................... 48 Happiness/life satisfaction .........................................................................50 Relationship Between Resilience and Success ..................................................... 52 Conclusion .............................................................................................................54 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ...........................55 Participants .............................................................................................................55
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