Copyright by Luana Barbosa Bessa 2013 The Dissertation Committee for Luana Barbosa Bessa certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Mulheres Brazucas: Identity Negotiation in the Immigration Experience of Brazilian Women Committee: Ricardo Ainslie, Supervisor Kevin Cokley Leslie Moore Aaron Rochlen Sonia Roncador Mulheres Brazucas: Identity Negotiation in the Immigration Experience of Brazilian Women By Luana Barbosa Bessa, B.A., M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin August 2013 Dedication Para Mamãe e Papai. Thank you for the dignity, faith, hard work, self-respect, and love for family that you have modeled for me. This work would not be possible without your love and support. Acknowledgements I wish to acknowledge the members of my committee and their role in helping me to develop and hone my thinking throughout this project. Rico, thank you for helping me to develop my skills in rigorous and stimulating qualitative work. Kevin, thank you for your support in helping me grow as a researcher and as a clinician attentive to issues of culture and diversity. Leslie, thank you for your passionate teaching and your mentorship in clinical work. Aaron, thank you for helping me develop my thinking on issues of gender and rigor in research. Sonia, thank you for helping me think outside the box and examine the current study from a fresh perspective. And Virginia Stockwell, without our consistent communication during this process, I am certain it would never have been possible. Thank you for all you do. Thank you, Viviane Santiago, for your assistance and support during this process. Your appreciation of the work and our growing friendship have been a blessing to me as I work through the project. Thank you, Jason Lee, my boyfriend, best friend, proofreader, and format checker. Without your attention to detail and relentless encouragement, I would certainly be greyer and worse for wear by now. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for your support during this project and for sharing your experiences with me. Thank you, God. v Mulheres Brazucas: Identity Negotiation in the Immigration Experience of Brazilian Women Publication No._____________ Luana Barbosa Bessa, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2013 Supervisor: Ricardo Ainslie This study draws from literature on acculturation, acculturative stress and gender roles as they relate to the experiences of Latin American immigrant groups. It focuses on Brazilian immigrant women, a group which has been understudied in psychological literature. This interview-based qualitative research project utilizes a phenomenological approach focusing on the personal lived experiences of Brazilian immigrant women in Texas and Massachusetts. Ten interviews were analyzed and five emergent themes were revealed. Results revealed ways in which women’s immigration experiences intersect with their multiple identities, and the ways in which those identities are shaped and negotiated during the transformative immigration experience. The phenomenological approach is particularly suited to study the immigration experience, as this experience inherently involves issues of identity, transition and meaning-making within a particular contextual space. vi Table of Contents List of Tables ........................................................................................................... x Chapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 Chapter 2. Background ............................................................................................ 4 Introduction .................................................................................................... 4 Brazilian Identity ............................................................................................ 5 Mestizo psychology. .............................................................................. 5 Cultural Values. ..................................................................................... 6 Brazilian gender roles. ........................................................................... 6 The Brazilian Immigrant Experience, or “Becoming Brazuca” (Jouët-Pastré, Braga & Suárez-Orozco, 2008) ............................................................. 8 The Brazuca profile. .............................................................................. 8 Theoretical models of acculturation. ................................................... 11 the classical definition. ............................................................... 11 acculturation in psychological research. ..................................... 11 Acculturation and stress. ..................................................................... 15 culture shock. .............................................................................. 15 relationship between acculturation and adjustment. ................... 17 acculturation type and acculturative stress. ................................ 18 Acculturation and cultural values. ....................................................... 20 negotiation of cultural values. .................................................... 20 Acculturation and gender roles. ........................................................... 21 gender role attitudes. .................................................................. 21 gender roles in relationships. ...................................................... 22 marianismo. ................................................................................ 24 marianismo and conflict. ............................................................ 26 Issues of Self-Definition ...................................................................... 27 Concluding Remarks .................................................................................... 29 vii Chapter 3. Method ................................................................................................. 32 Proposed Study and Research Question ....................................................... 32 Epistemological Framework and Rationale .................................................. 33 Introduction. ........................................................................................ 33 Challenging empiricism. ...................................................................... 33 The investigation of multiple case studies. .......................................... 35 Issues of social relevance and power. .................................................. 38 Issues of translation. ............................................................................ 39 The phenomenological endeavor. ........................................................ 40 Procedure ...................................................................................................... 44 Participants. ......................................................................................... 44 Approval by Human Subjects Committee. .......................................... 46 Data collection. .................................................................................... 46 Transcription and translation. .............................................................. 48 Data analysis. ....................................................................................... 48 Chapter 4. Results .................................................................................................. 50 Immigration as a Quest ................................................................................. 51 Purpose of Immigration ....................................................................... 51 Expectations Versus Reality ................................................................ 56 Price to Pay for Quest Goals ............................................................... 59 Evolution of Quest ............................................................................... 60 Divided Self: “One foot in each country” .................................................... 61 Living with Ambivalence .................................................................... 62 Connections Back Home ..................................................................... 66 You Can’t Go Home Again ................................................................. 69 Sense of Legitimacy and Belonging ............................................................. 72 Meaning of documentation status ........................................................ 72 Race and Ethnicity ............................................................................... 79 Diminished Sense of Self .................................................................... 87 viii Shift in Social Status ........................................................................... 92 Navigating Relationships .............................................................................. 94 Lack of Community Solidarity versus Individual Support .................. 94 Negotiating Relationships With Children ......................................... 105 Coping Strategies ........................................................................................ 110 Defining Dignity ................................................................................ 110 Working to escape pain ....................................................................