Uncovering Nodes in the Transnational Social Networks of Hispanic Workers
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2013 Uncovering nodes in the transnational social networks of Hispanic workers James Powell Chaney Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Chaney, James Powell, "Uncovering nodes in the transnational social networks of Hispanic workers" (2013). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 3245. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/3245 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. UNCOVERING NODES IN THE TRANSNATIONAL SOCIAL NETWORKS OF HISPANIC WORKERS A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Geography & Anthropology by James Powell Chaney B.A., University of Tennessee, 2001 M.S., Western Kentucky University 2007 December 2013 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As I sat down to write the acknowledgment for this research, something ironic came to mind. I immediately realized that I too had to rely on my social network to complete this work. No one can achieve goals without the engagement and support of those to whom we are connected. As we strive to succeed in life, our family, friends and acquaintances influence us as well as lend a much needed hand. Ten years ago, I enrolled in a certificate program in Middle Tennessee State University’s Department of Geosciences. My objective was only to take a few GIS courses so that I could find a decent job making maps. During the program, I met Dr. Doug Heffington, a cultural geographer who organized student trips to Latin America each year. Doug soon convinced me to traveling with him to Costa Rica the following summer. That trip changed my life. It was the first time I experienced human geography in the field. Suddenly, all those seemingly abstract facts, dates, and figures concerning the cultures, economies, histories and societies that I had learned in a far-way Tennessee classroom became perceptibly real. Evidence of colonialism, neo-colonialism, as well as the resistance that always accompanies these modes of governance and economic control were apparent in the cultural landscape of this small country. I realized that only through a geographical perspective could one truly comprehend the connections and causes that shape a particular place as well as the people who call it home. Thanks Doug! You put me on this path. The following autumn, I entered a master’s program at Western Kentucky University. At Western, I continued making trips to Latin America with Dr. David Keeling. David introduced me to new ideas, ideologies, and social as well as political theories. He also taught me how to ii approach them with a critical eye. Dr. Katie Algeo, however, patiently showed me how to flesh out my critiques and opinions on paper. My master’s thesis looked at the burgeoning Hispanic population in Nashville. I wanted to do in-depth fieldwork with newly-arrived Hispanics. This desire led me to make lasting friendships with scores of people from Latin America. Many of those friends are part of the family I refer to in this study as the Garcias. They openly welcomed me into their lives and went out of their way to support me in my master’s thesis as well as this dissertation. (Thanks Alex!) Through them, I made so many contacts in both the United States and Mexico. One the most interesting and helpful people I met was J. Guadalupe Lopez Dapia. Guadalupe was the patriarch of the García family and the abuelo of the person I refer to as Juan in this dissertation. He lived his entire life in San José Iturbide, but he traveled annually to Nashville to visit family. When I did my fieldwork in San José Iturbide he helped me in any way that he could to find answers to the all the questions I sought. Sadly, Guadalupe passed away unexpectedly this year. I hope this work can serve as a means to honor his memory. My time at Louisiana State University has proven to be the most valuable experience in my academic career. The scholarly skills and knowledge that I have gained are second-to-none. I am proud to say that I studied geography at LSU. I am honored by the respected scholars who sit on my dissertation committee. I take great pride telling other cultural geographers that each one of you has been an important influence in my academic career. Dr. Andrew Sluyter, you have been a great advisor. You have pushed me when I needed it. You have encouraged me when I felt unmotivated. Most importantly, you have always enthusiastically supported my research. Your seminar classes on transnationalism and social iii theory helped me develop the framework of this dissertation. I am honored that you invited me to work with you on research on Latinos in New Orleans. Dr. Kent Mathewson, your Atlantic Studies seminar ranks as one of my all-time favorite courses. I learned so much in such a short period. All of the books we read sit side-by-side in my library. I wrote chapter two of this dissertation with you in mind. I am so thankful you suggested that I familiarize myself geographers like Friedrich Raztel and E. G. Ravenstein. Dr. Dydia DeLyser, the techniques I acquired in your qualitative research course are the backbone of my dissertation’s methodology. I will always rely on what I learned in your course in future studies. I also appreciate you lending me your ear when I had a concern or question about my research. Dr. Joyce Jackson you gave me the freedom in your course to go work on a side project about Garifuna transmigrants in New Orleans. The research from that project became a journal article. Later, I was interviewed as a subject expert for a documentary about the Garínagu. My fieldwork in New Orleans was possible only because of my time at Oportunidades NOLA. Thank you Jamie McDaniel for bringing me on board! We built a solid organization that helped so many marginalized immigrants in New Orleans. Thank you for letting me conduct my research while working with you as well as assisting me when I needed it. That is something many directors would not do. I admire you and know that you will go on to do great things. In New Orleans, I met some of the nicest, most sincere individuals I have ever known. To all my friends from Honduras and Nicaragua, Mil Gracias por “echarme una mano!” These people made my research in New Orleans and Central America possible. They helped me organize focus groups and recruited immigrants to interview. I cannot imagine how I would iv have been able to conduct fieldwork in El Paraíso or Jalapa without their help. Through contacts in their transnational social networks, I always found a free place to stay, a person to interview, and comida to eat. Their friends and family took me into their homes and provided me with all I needed. What I cherish most from that experience, though, are the friends that I made during my research. Thanks Alexis! I must also mention a few of my friends and colleagues that have helped me along the way. Thanks Case Watkins for sharing ideas with me and listening to my gripes. Helbert Arenas, you helped me with refining maps during my doctoral studies. Arturo Garibay, gracias por revisar mis encuestas escritas en español. All of you took time out of your lives and research to give me a hand. Finally, I am forever indebted to my parents for being so supportive the last ten years. Mom, dad, you both have stuck by me throughout my academic endeavors. You have encouraged me, supported me, and believed in what I was doing. I know it is cliché to say you are the best parents I could ever ask for, but it is true. I hope I have made you proud. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... ii LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... ix ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................................................x CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................1 Objectives ........................................................................................................................11 2. GEOGRAPHY’S CHANGING ROLE IN MIGRATION SCHOLARSHIP ....................17 The Roots of Migration Scholarship in Geography ........................................................17 Positivist Approaches to Migration .................................................................................21 From Abstract Models and Determinist Accounts to Integrative Analytical Frameworks ............................................................................29 Transnationalism, Networks, and the Geographical Concepts of Place, Space, and Scale...............................................................................................35