Being Me in Canada: Multidimensional Identity and Belonging of Russian-Speaking Immigrant Youths
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Being me in Canada: Multidimensional identity and belonging of Russian-speaking immigrant youths by Jenny Glozman A Thesis presented to The University of Guelph In partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Family Relations and Applied Nutrition Guelph, Ontario, Canada © Jenny Glozman, September, 2015 ABSTRACT BEING ME IN CANADA: MULTIDIMENSIONAL IDENTITY AND BELONGING OF RUSSIAN-SPEAKING IMMIGRANT YOUTHS Jenny Glozman Advisor: University of Guelph, 2015 Susan S. Chuang Although recent attention has focused on the experiences of immigrants in Canada, few researchers have explored the experiences of invisible immigrants, and Russian-speaking immigrants in particular, whose invisible nature may impact their identity and sense of belonging following their arrival in Canada. Specifically, they may not necessarily integrate with white mainstream Canadians, but they may also not fit in with their visible minority immigrant peers. Moreover, Russian-speaking immigrants often take an indirect path to Canada which may, in turn, have unique contributions to their acculturation experiences which may fit outside of current bicultural models of acculturation. The current study’s focus on immigrant youths is due to the developmental importance of identity and belonging during this time period. Moreover, the role of context in identity and sense of belonging, including peers and politics, will be explored as both factors have been overlooked in past research. Using constructivist grounded theory methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 decimal- and second-generation Russian-speaking immigrant youths (15 to 19 years of age). A substantive theory of the identity and belonging of these youths was developed. Results indicated that the processes youths engaged in were multidirectional, flexible, and dynamic. At the core of the framework were three processes: choosing identities, expressing identities, and fitting in. The results of identity and belonging were often multidimensional, with youths choosing from and expressing more than one identity, and experiencing a sense of belonging with one or more groups. In order to facilitate these processes, youths navigated their context, with a particular focus on family, peers, community, politics, and immigration experiences. The youths’ experiences in navigating the context were both positive and negative which had an impact on their consequent identity and belonging. This study was one of first to consider the multidimensional nature of identity and belonging among immigrant youths, accounting for factors such as invisibility, indirect migration, and religious/cultural minority identities. Moreover, this study explored overlooked contextual factors such as peer group experiences (positive and negative, in-school and out of school, in-group and out-group) and the political context (multiculturalism and political conflict). Implications for research and practice are discussed. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Susan Chuang, for her help, encouragement, guidance, and support over these last four years. From the moment we met I always felt that you had my back, that you believed in me and pushed me to be the best researcher I could be. You helped me get to the finish line even faster than I had hoped, and for that I will always be grateful. To my committee members, Dr. Vappu Tyyskä and Dr. Michael Ungar, thank you for your guidance, insight, and constructive feedback throughout this process. You strengthened my work and expanded my understanding. I am a better researcher for having had a chance to work with you. This dissertation would not have been possible without my participants. Thank you, each and every one of you, for your enthusiasm and openness in sharing your stories and experiences with me. I am forever indebted to you. I would also like to thank the Social Sciences Research Council, the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities, and the University of Guelph for the financial support that made this research possible. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends, both near and far, still with us and those departed. I am grateful for your support and encouragement along the way, and for letting me disappear for stretches of time into writing hibernation mode and being there to welcome me with open arms when I resurfaced again. To my parents, Marina and Alex, and my brother Ron, thank you for always believing me and loving me, no matter what. To my partner, Jon, you are the rock that I leaned on every day, not only for the last four years, but for the last twelve. This would not have been possible without you, thank you! v Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................ iv List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. viii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... ix Chapter One: Literature Review ................................................................................................. 1 Immigration Factors ................................................................................................................ 2 Russian-Speaking Immigrants ................................................................................................ 5 Russian-speaking immigration statistics ................................................................................. 6 Brief historical account of migration from Eastern Europe .................................................... 7 Sociocultural context ............................................................................................................... 8 Immigration experiences and challenges ............................................................................... 10 Acculturation Theories and Research .................................................................................. 13 Unidimensional acculturation ................................................................................................ 14 Bidimensional acculturation .................................................................................................. 14 Tridimensional acculturation ................................................................................................. 16 Acculturation factors ............................................................................................................. 18 The Developmental Period of Adolescence .......................................................................... 20 The Context ............................................................................................................................. 22 The ecological view of development ..................................................................................... 22 Family experiences ................................................................................................................ 24 Peer group experiences .......................................................................................................... 29 Sense of Belonging .................................................................................................................. 32 Definition and characteristics ................................................................................................ 33 Factors relevant to belonging ................................................................................................ 34 Social and Ethnic Identity ..................................................................................................... 39 Social identity ........................................................................................................................ 39 Ethnic identity ....................................................................................................................... 41 Identity Agents ....................................................................................................................... 47 Parents as identity agents ....................................................................................................... 48 Peers as identity agents .......................................................................................................... 50 vi The influence of cliques and crowds ..................................................................................... 53 Experiences of Victimization ................................................................................................. 55 Definitions and features ......................................................................................................... 55 Statistics on victimization ...................................................................................................... 56 Links to victimization ............................................................................................................ 58 Outcomes of victimization..................................................................................................... 59 Resilience of Youths ..............................................................................................................