Homework for October 20th

Malerie Brill

October 20^th, 2011

SSN

Prof. Galvin

“From Cuenca, Ecuador, to New York, U.S.A.: Families and Transnational Lives” (pages 378-393) Miles

Ann Miles illustrates for us in this essay the challenges that immigrants face with transnationalism. She interviewed a man named Vincent Quintasacas who moved to New York from Cuanca, Ecuador. He faced many challenges throughout his journey. He was so sad about leaving Ecuador because that was where his whole life was. His family and friends lived there, and moving to the unknown was very intimidating. Money was an issue, and Vincent owed a lot of money to some of his family and friends who loaned it to him. It was difficult for him to send money back to his family though because he had many unexpected costs. He had to spend money on a car because he got beat up in the subway on the way home from work. That was an expense he wasn’t expecting, but one that was important for his well-being. It wasn’t hard for him to get a job. He had a friend help him out with that. The language barrier made it difficult as well. Learning English was difficult for him. He found that making a living was hard. He worked many many hours a day, and made very little. He also says that health can be a problem. He was fortunate to be in good health, but if he wasn’t he wouldn’t be able to work and many money to support himself. Vincent went back and forth in his story about whether he wanted to stay in the states or go back to Ecuador. He seemed to think he would stay, but then he would say he missed his family and home and would want to go back to Ecuador. He felt as if he were a river that had no place to go.

This was a very interesting article. It was interesting to read an immigrants viewpoint on life here in America, and the struggles and accomplishments he went through.

“Global Tranactions: Sudanese Refugees Sending Money Home” (pages 394-402) by Dianna Shandy

This article by Shandy shows us how transnationalism is connecting rural and urban areas because of the money that the immigrants send back to their homes. Many people in the home countries are moving to cities to be able to receive the money sent to them more easily. She focuses on the Nuer refugees from Sudan that are now living in the US. So many of these refugees that are living in Addis Ababa rely on the remittances that their relatives abroad send them. Western Union has become a large business because of the need for these people to get the money from overseas. They use kiosk-like structures for the people to easily access their remittances. In a refugee camp, formal employment is not legal, so the people must rely on either the remittances they receive or work informally. Many people receive monthly remittances, and some receive just one to cover a medical bill or anything that is a larger expense.

This article was a large overview of remittances and how they work. I thought it was not super interesting, but it gave a good idea about the process of remittances.

“Beyond urban and rural Communities in the 21^st Century” (pages 413-420) by Walter Zenner

Zenner seeks to explain how rural and urban terms are becoming less relevant today. So many communities that in the past would be described as rural are now showing signs of urbanism. During the 21^st century the population changed from being predominately rural to being predominately urban. Zenner gives us eight examples of an urban community.

1) High degree of specialization in labor and mass production of goods.

2) Higher commitment to mechanical power

3) Individuals are more transient and detached from tradition. More people live away from where they were born.

4) High mobility in day-to-day life. More job and residence changes.

5) Continuous changes in the environment – technology and structural innovation

6) More mechanical and held by time

7) Verification to prove who we are

8) Conflict between the desire for freedom and the desired to keep control over people

Location and size do matter when talking about rural and urban spaces. Many places in the US have a distinct urban community and a distinct rural community.