The Identity Formation Experiences of Second Wave Argentinian Immigrants to Canada by Pamela Evangelina Groh A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Sociology Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2013, Pamela Evangelina Groh Abstract The thesis explores the processes of identity formation among high-skilled Argentinian immigrants to Canada’s National Capital Region on the basis of a mixed method qualitative research consisting of 14 interviews with Argentinian professionals who migrated to Canada since 1999, participant observation and the analysis of Internet blogs. The thesis examines the identity formation experiences of these immigrants as the “meeting point” of social conditions of migration and personal practices of reacting, reflecting and feeling. Approaching identity as fluid, relational, strategic, positional, and always developing, I argue that the ‘new’ identities that Argentinian immigrants have developed are linked to two main relational processes, namely identification and differentiation. By critically examining the ‘location’ of these immigrants in Canadian society, I suggest the group’s experiences of integration and marginalization are interconnected to these relational processes influencing their notions of who they are in Canada. ii Acknowledgements I want to express my sincere and profound gratitude to the thesis Director, Dr. Xiaobei Chen, for an incredibly dedicated work of supervision. I am indebted to Xiaobei for sharing with me her expertise and knowledge and also for treating me with kindness, fairness, respect, and for always providing a space for me to explore my ideas and express myself with freedom. I am grateful for her confidence and trust in me and for her continued encouragement along this journey. I also deeply thank Committee Members Dr. Janet Siltanen and Dr. Laura Macdonald for their close guidance, for sharing with me the wealth of their experience, and for encouraging me to explore beyond my comfort zone. I have learned immensely from you and I thank Janet for awakening in me a true passion for research methodology. I am grateful to the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, especially to Dr. Aaron Doyle and Ms. Paula Whissell for their continued support and for making my stay at Carleton University a truly positive experience. I am indebted to research participants for sharing with me their views, opinions and insights and it is my sincere hope that I have honoured their contributions by writing about ‘our’ identity with the respect it deserves. I also thank mentors who, one way or another, have taught and guided me in the past. I especially thank Dr. Fatemeh Givechian for sharing with me wonderful life (and ethnographic) lessons. I thank my parents, Olga and Jorge, for their support, trust and unconditional love. I am grateful to them for giving me everything they have, for teaching me perseverance and for inspiring me with their own lives. I thank my sisters, Jésica and Analís, for their continued presence, words of encouragement, wisdom and love. I especially thank my baby niece, Bianca, for her beautiful smiles, which can truly lighten up the writing process. I thank Mariana and Gabriel, ‘mis amigos del alma’, for their love, patience, contention and company in the past eleven years. I thank you both for being there and for showing me the real meaning of friendship. ., I thank and dedicate this thesis to Ivo. For always encouraging me to improve myself yet for loving me exactly as I am. Y con profundo agradecimiento a Dios. Por su constante compañía y por haber encontrado mi camino con el de estas personas. iii Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. iv List of Tables .................................................................................................................... vi List of Appendices ........................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1: Argentinian Immigrants to Canada: Introduction and Theoretical Framework ........................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 The Five Waves of Latin American Immigration to Canada ......................................... 5 1.2 Identities, Colonialism, and Nation Building ................................................................. 9 1.3 Aims of the Thesis ........................................................................................................ 23 1.4 Outline of Thesis Chapters ........................................................................................... 25 1.5 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 27 Chapter 2: Talking, Seeing, and Reading Identity: The Research Methodology ..... 28 2.1 Sources of Data ............................................................................................................. 32 2.2 Research Participants' Profiles ..................................................................................... 34 2.3 Accessing Participants and Other Opportunities to Conduct Research ........................ 39 2.4 My Role as a Researcher: On the Degree of Involvement as an 'Insider' .................... 41 2.5 Data Analysis Techniques ............................................................................................ 47 2.6 Stories of "Argentinian-ness": Main Narratives and Methodological Adjustments ..... 50 2.7 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 57 Chapter 3: “I Say From Argentina, but Being a Canadian Citizen Gives Me Great Satisfaction”: Identifications and Differentiations ..................................................... 58 3.1 Argentinian Identity Formation Experiences in the Context of Migration to Canada .. 62 3.2 On the Fluidity of Identity and the Emotional Connection .......................................... 81 iv 3.3 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 87 Chapter 4: On the Verge of Belonging: the Partial Inclusion of ‘Others’ into Canadian Society ............................................................................................................ 89 4.1 The Location of Argentinian Immigrants in Canadian Society: on Being Included, but Only Conditionally ........................................................................................................... 93 4.2 Whiteness, Skills, and Degrees of Inclusion …………………………………………... 97 4.3 Accents, Credentials, and Degrees of Exclusion .............................................................. 99 4.4 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 113 Chapter 5 “I am Interested in Understanding the Place Where I Live… and From There, I Can Feel I Belong”: Conclusions ................................................................. 115 5.1 The Formation of 'New' Identities and the Location of Argentinian Immigrants in Canadian Society ........................................................................................................... 116 5.2 Final Thoughts on Moving Forward .............................................................................. 123 Appendices ..................................................................................................................... 126 Appendix A General Interview Questionnaire For Research Participants .............................. 126 A.1 Interview Questionnaire for Research Participants. English Version .................... 126 A.2 Interview Questionnaire for Research Participants. Spanish Version .................... 128 Appendix B Interview Questionnaire for Blogger ................................................................... 131 B.1 Interview Questionnaire for Blogger. English Version .......................................... 131 B.2 Interview Questionnaire for Blogger. Spanish Version ......................................... 134 Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 143 v List of Tables Table 1 Latin Americans in Canada’s major cities as of 2001 ................................................ 137 Table 2 Latin Americans in Canada’s major cities as of 2006 ................................................ 138 Table 3 First Wave of Argentinian Immigration to Canada 1970s .......................................... 139 Table 4 Central and South American Immigration to Canada: 1968 to 1995 ........................ 140 Table 5 Second Wave of Argentinian Immigration to Canada 2000s ..................................... 141 Table 6 Latin American Immigration to Canada in 2007 by Main Countries of Origin ......... 142 vi List of Appendices Appendix A General Interview Questionnaire for Research Participants ............................... 126 A.1 Interview