What I really wish to focus on is the intriguing idea of how 2nd generation immigrant children and especially teens deal with living in a city like Amsterdam that is considered exceptionally liberal. In what ways do they feel empowered and in what ways do they feel suppressed? Is there both empowerment and suppression in their society as well as cultural heritage or is there more empowerment in one than the other & vice versa? I want to explore how living in the current internet and mass communication era has affected their own thoughts and outlooks on life in particular. Has it helped them stay in touch with family or friends in their parents' home countries? Do they use it as a form of escape? There are so many things I would like to delve into on this subject.
One main goal I hope to get out of this is to also explore some of the psychological factors that influence a level of dichotomy in immigrant personalities that Buruma had cited in his work Murder in Amsterdam. I find the statistics of schizophrenia in 2nd generation immigrants particularly intriguing. I want to test to confirm this as well as to explore it in more qualitative detail. Coming from an immigrant background myself I want to explore the relationship between technological/social environment and cultural upbringing and how those factors ultimately influence personalities and subcultures. I believe strongly that culture has a strong influence on people's views as people have to deal with it on more personal level than government policies for example.
Some methods of gathering evidence would include going out and talking to young adults and teenagers from all sorts of immigrant backgrounds. I would like to pull out commonalities between them as well as particular cultural upbringing factors that may differ amongst ethnicities or may be unique to a few people. Patterns as well as exceptions will be important. I think I will also have to gather some statistics from the web to measure certain tangible aspects of technology and communication but other aspects will be from face to face or group interviews. I think a school environment would be a good place to begin for those or a center where young adults gather - like shopping centers, parks, or performance houses.
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Just as a comment, you'll have a hard time picking out 2nd generation immigrants from shopping centers, parks or performance houses. If you are going to be that specific, you'll probably have to search out the immigrants and have a way of contacting specifically 2nd generation immigrants...That compounded with the possible problem of the 2nd generation not knowing English...
I think what would probably be best would be to find a few (like three or so) 2nd generation immigrants and interview them in depth...Otherwise, I think it would be really hard to do...
Thanks so much for your comment Haley. You definitely bring up some very pertinent points. Yeah I think I'd like to do a follow-up of a couple 2nd generation immigrants in depth and if I'm lucky enough to get some of their parents' feedback that would be great too. It would give a much rounder picture than trying to find a whole plethora of 2nd generation immigrants and asking them a few questions here and there. My intended focus was more on a personal/cultural/psychological element so your suggestion would definitely work! I have a feeling that 2nd generation immigrants that have grown up in the Amsterdam environment the language shouldn't be too much of a hindrance.
Shirley,
I love your idea! It sounds really interesting. I am also an immigrant so it would be interesting to see how the lives from 2nd generation immigrants is different than for the average Dutch person. Though I don't know much about the Dutch educational system, it might be possible for find a school that has a greater number of minorites and then compare it to a mostly Dutch populated school? Just an idea! Also possibly if you could find an older family that contains a 1st generation, 2nd generation, and possibly a 3rd generation family member you could compare their experiences? That's a little hopeful but possible?
hi shiley (and irina)- great ideas and i particularly like how you both bring your own experiences to bear on the questions you pose.
a couple of suggestions: continue to work through the big questions you pose and try to find a specific issue to study. this will help make your project more manageable. an important part of getting at a specific question is to refer to the relevant literature surrounding immigrant children experiences. you'll learn what is already known and it will help you articulate your project proposal.
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