Ethnic Identity Among Maronite Lebanese in the United States

Immigration is defined as the process of moving across countries and has several effects on sending and receiving countries. Several waves of immigrants came from Lebanon to the United States starting in the late 1800s. They were expected to assimilate into the new society but ethnic faith based communities assisted them in also maintaining that their ethnic identity. The purpose of this mixed methodology study is to explore the role of the church in preserving the ethnic identity among the Maronite Lebanese immigrants in the United States. The mixed methodology study answered 3 major questions. Quantitative data were collected from youth between the ages of 12 and 23 years old and adults 24 and older from Maronite parishes in the United States who answered an adaptation of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) (Phinney, 1992). Qualitative data were collected by interviewing 6 Maronite clergy serving in the United States. The participants included 2 Lebanese born immigrants, 2 Americans of Lebanese descent, and 2 Americans of European descent. The quantitative results in this study showed that the majority of Maronite Lebanese in the United States have achieved and understood their ethnic identity. Most of them demonstrated their identity, had positive feelings towards their ethnic group, and were well assimilated into the American society. Ethnic behavior and affirmation were significant predictors of ethnic achievement among the participants. However, assimilation did not predict ethnic achievement. Participants in the qualitative study considered that the church has a great influence on immigrants and plays a significant role in preserving their ethnic and religious identities. This study offered a snapshot of the Maronite church in the United States. The Maronite Church in the United States continues to move into the future while striving to assist Lebanese immigrants to assimilate into the U.S. society and achieve and understand their ethnic identity. The Church is called to be an inviting and welcoming church, flourishing and unique, and rooted in Lebanon. The creation of educational and outreach programs would help the church in her efforts to preserve the ethnic identity of her faithful

Jordan and the Refugee Crisis: Impact on the Host Nation

This thesis investigated the effect of refugee populations of the culture and society of Jordan with emphasis placed on Jordanian social acceptance of refugee populations as measured through intermarriage. Data was collected quantitatively from 100 female respondents at each of three Jordanian universities regarding values and acceptance of refugee populations as potential spouses using a simple survey. Data was also collected qualitatively by semi-structured interviews with select individuals to provide context. Universities were geographically diverse to allow observation of regional disparities in response. Whitney Mann U test was used to compare significance of answers across universities. Survey data showed that Jordanian acceptance of refugees through intermarriage was low unless they had Jordanian citizenship. There were also indicators that wealth may play a greater role in acceptance than ethnic origin or traditions. I found while societal acceptance of refugees may be growing, especially in the urban areas, governmental restrictions on citizenship, while understandable on the pragmatic level, will continue to create a hurdle for integration. Other factors that affect integration of refugees in Jordan are also discussed

The Spaces of Encounter of Female Middle Eastern and Muslim Immigrants in Atlanta, Georgia

This study analyzes identity, class, religiosity, and belonging as they affect the experiences of female Middle Eastern and Muslim immigrants in various spaces within the context of the Atlanta, Georgia area and draws attention to the ‘othering’ of immigrants in American society. The exploration of immigrants’ experiences in various spaces includes public and semi-public, employment, educational and organizational spaces. Interviews were conducted on 24 female immigrants in the Atlanta area who possess various backgrounds. While female immigrants who wear the hijab experienced more, and more direct, discrimination than those who wear Western styles, the women who wear hijab were not discouraged from attempting to participate in the host society. Female immigrants who wear Western style attire reported indirect negative experiences in public and semi-public spaces. Immigrants’ experiences underscore the concept that socially acceptable stereotypes in the media become fodder for negative stereotypes in mainstream American society

Occupational Choices Among Arab Americans In The U.s.: An Examination Of The Effects Of Gender, Educational Attainment, Generational Status, Country Of Origin, And Motivation

Migrating to the United States of American holds both great promises and challenges for prospective immigrants. This is true for Arab Americans who migrated to the United States in increasing numbers over the last several decades. One of the most important, yet simultaneously under-examined areas of research interest is that of Arab Americans’ occupational choices and occupational motivations. Occupational choices and motivations are correlated to social status, income earning potential, familial stability, and even health outcomes. This is true for the U.S. population as a whole and even more so for immigrant groups such as Arab Americans. The present study employs quantitative methodology and a survey design to examine two key questions related to Arab Americans (1) Are there differences in occupational choices by gender, educational level, country of origin, and generational status among Arab American workers in Dearborn, MI?, and (2) What explains the occupational motivations among Arab Americans in Dearborn, and is there a mismatch between Arab Americans’ motivations and occupations? To answer these questions, 254 Arab American workers were sampled from eight different locations across Dearborn, Michigan using a convenience sample design. All participants completed a face-to-face survey that included questions about their current and last occupation, occupational motivations, and relevant demographic and cultural characteristics. The researcher asked survey questions orally of participants and recorded their responses. The study found that gender, generational status and country of origin were significantly associated with the occupational choices of the individual. The study also determined that male respondents were three times more likely to have a job in education than the health care industry. Certain ethnic groups were also more likely to have occupations in business and finance sectors or healthcare sectors. In addition, different types of motivations (intrinsic, extrinsic, personal) produced differential effects on occupational choices. For instance, internal motivations significantly predicted non-participation in the transportation section whereas familial motivation significantly predicted non-participation in the education sector. These and other findings suggest that the manner within which Arab American culture influences occupational choice and motivation is complex and differentiated, requiring further articulation. Additionally, the nature of the gender skew within the Arab American community may provide incentives for future gender research. Further research is also needed to reveal additional variables that may successfully predict participation in a wider swath of occupations. Future researchers would also benefit from the employment of qualitative methodology, which provides greater depth of understanding

An International Corridor in the Making?: Immigrant-Owned Entrepreneurial Establishments in Birmingham, Alabama

Immigration is changing the U.S. South in unprecedented ways. The South is no longer nearly the exclusive domain of whites and blacks as Hispanics and Asians comprise increasingly influential minorities in towns and cities throughout the region. Immigrants, many of whom are recent arrivals, are choosing to start entrepreneurial business ventures rather than go to work for someone else. This research examines immigrant-owned entrepreneurial establishments along two business corridors in metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama. It answers the following questions: (1) Why is an international corridor developing as opposed to a single group ethnic enclave? (2) What initially brought immigrant-entrepreneurs to Birmingham, a medium-sized metropolitan area that has experienced minimal in-migration in the last half century? (3) What factors explain the location of the international corridor? (4) How have Birmingham and the suburban cities of Hoover and Homewood, where the international corridor is located, reacted to the arrival of new immigrants and immigrant-entrepreneurs? I answer these questions using a multi-method approach that includes statistical analysis, archival research, personal observations and semi-structured open-ended interviews

Entrepreneurship and the integration of refugees and migrants: A case study of Syrian refugees in Egypt

The Syrian Exodus is the biggest assemblage of refugees affecting not just neighboring countries of Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, and Turkey, comprising 95% of the Syrian refugees, but also European states, following refugees\u27 decisions to undertake the Death Journey by crossing the Mediterranean Sea (Pierini & Hackenbroich, 2015). Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011 the refugee crisis involves at least 11 million Syrians, from which 6.3 million are displaced and 13.5 million are in dire need of humanitarian assistance due to inexorable conditions (Mercy Corps, 2017) Protracted refugees situations take from five to twenty years. Numbers of Syrian refugees, who are hosted in Egypt, are ranging from 500,000 to two million, where only a fraction of them, 115,204, is registered (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) , 2017). Despite guarantees for individual considerations by the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol, refugees are usually vulnerable, weary and aid dependent. At the same time, their individual contexts are neglected due to weak and fragmented policies enforcement, dwindling living conditions, legal restrictions and social and economic limitations for their livelihoods. Extant literature on refugees lacks a positive framing as enabling individuals and vital socio-economic and developmental tools. Shifting away from the traditional refugee warehousing approach, that denotes mobility restriction, idleness enforcement, aid dependency and incapacitated individuals, where their lives are put on hold in violation to the 1951 Refugee Convention law (Smith, 2006), and following successful case studies of refugees\u27 entrepreneurial tendencies, such as in Dadaab and Kakuma Camps in Kenya and Zaat\u27ari in Jordan. Entrepreneurship may serve as a source of innovation and a mean of income generation, carrying other non-monetary gains for sustainable livelihoods (Montclos & Kagwanja, 2000). To date, refugee entrepreneurship is a nascent research field that is distinct from ethnic entrepreneurship and migrant entrepreneurship. Among recent studies, Garba, Djafar, & Mansor (2013) and Chrysostome (2010) tackled different aspects for ethnic and migrant communities when they pursue entrepreneurial ventures. Considering that each context has a unique set of challenges, few researchers have attempted to understand the relationship between refugees\u27 entrepreneurial endeavors and their integration in hosting economies. Wauters & Lambrecht (2006) demonstrated qualitatively the entrepreneurship potential and analyzed associated socio-economic impacts of entrepreneurship among refugees in Belgium. In 2008, they assessed quantitatively their motivations and associated challenges (Wauters & Lambrecht, 2008). In another study by Mushaben (2006), it draws interesting findings that Turkish ethnic businesses bridged majority and minority cultures in German cities through their entrepreneurial efforts of Do-It-Yourself-Integration (DIY) processes. Consequently, participatory consciousness among males, and direct identification with the society for women resulted. Finally, within the third-generation of Turkish migrants, they start businesses outside the food sector and they are more likely to embrace the German citizenship (Mushaben, 2006). This research attempts to shed some light if entrepreneurial activities are enabling tools for integration in hosting communities. Following the administration of twelve in-depth interviews to Syrian refugees in Greater Cairo and by comparing empirical findings with literature, it proved that, as a consequence of disadvantages, that Syrians face in hosting communities, they pushed themselves to pursue entrepreneurship as a self-reliance strategy. Promoting factors of ethnic-cultural features, where Syrian businesspersons gain access to ethnic markets, labor and emotional support, enabled them to start first their offerings among their communities to enlarge their economic activities among members of hosting societies, by taking advantage of a common language, familiarity with the culture, and relative peace and stability. It is good to note that generalizations should be avoided in later research, especially when common factors of language proficiency and culture familiarity are missing. Additionally, without macroeconomic support of institutional bodies and policy makers, the sustainability of their economic work opportunities is at risk. Due to institutional voids, organizational and institutional barriers and lack of effective coordination among stakeholders, their political integration is set aside, at least for the short and medium terms. This research makes a theoretical contribution by stating that refugee entrepreneurship has common ethnic-cultural promoting factors as ethnic entrepreneurs with similar motives of necessity based migrant entrepreneurs of overcoming disadvantages they face in their daily routines. Their social links were necessary determinants for short-term acculturation through their informal economic activities that are illegal yet legitimate. Entrepreneurship among refugee communities cannot only rely on informal sources that are not replenished, as their economic sustainability and their political integration, as citizens in the hosting society, are both at risk. These findings have implications in better understanding of the dynamics behind refugees\u27 pursuit of economic opportunities; how they maintain them; if they can sustain their endeavors and what performance indicators are used to determine their success following their motivations. As practical implications, recommended solutions are suggested to formalize these interactions for local economies development and refugees empowerment

Temporal reframing of prices: a conceptual framework

Research on consumer’s response to pricing tactics has been plentiful and is still ongoing. One strategy that research has sought to explain and endorse is pennies-a-day (Gourville, 1998), where the cost of a product is expressed as a small ongoing expense. This dissertation tests two competing theories that may explain the effect of PAD on consumer participation intentions. The first theory, marketing exchange (Bagozzi, 1975) predicts different effects across exchange type; in particular, generalized exchange (charity) and restricted exchange (consumer products and services). The second theory, mental budgeting (Heath and Soll, 1996) predicts different effects across expense type; this study addresses recurring and non-recurring expenses. This research then extends this framework to a cause-related marketing (CRM) context. First, a pretest and one experiment test the competing theories, while considering process measures, such as sympathy and deliberation, to explain the effect of PAD on participation intentions. Results provide evidence that the relationship between PAD frame and participation intentions is moderated by exchange type. Consistent with the predictions, PAD frame improved perception of offer attractiveness and increased sympathy towards the object of the offer in a generalized exchange context (charity); the same was not supported in a restricted exchange context (consumer products). Second, a pilot test and two experiments test the effect of PAD on participation intentions in a CRM context. The studies explore the effects of sympathy, deliberation, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and attitude towards the manufacturer (ATTM) as mediating variables. Results provide support to the moderating role of donation amount on the effect of PAD on participation intentions. While PAD did not have a significant impact on participation intentions as donation amount increased, aggregate frame led to a significant increase in participation intentions. Results highlighted the mediating role of sympathy, CSR, deliberation, and ATTM between donation amount and participation intentions. Overall, this research helps companies to frame prices to improve consumers’ likelihood of participation. In addition, it helps companies to frame donations in CRM campaigns to improve participation. This research also identifies several variables with a potential to affect the relationships between price frame, donation amount, and participation intentions