Introduction
An ethnic enclave is a specific geographical district where migrant ethnic minorities live in close proximity. Here is where ethnic groups live, congregate, and also work in ethnically managed businesses, such as specialist grocers and food shops, religious buildings, and community institutions. The communities of people in ethnic enclaves typically do not speak the majority language, and sometimes participate in customs, festivals, religious observances, and cuisine that is different from the majority population. Enclaves were first observed (and the term “ethnic enclave” first defined) in the early 20th century, by sociologist Ernest Burgess in his 1925 study on human behavior in urban environments.
Since …show more content…
Immigration is often driven by the need to seek better economic, social, political, or religious circumstances, with migration typically moving from poorer countries to wealthier ones. Oftentimes, employment opportunities in major industries in other countries draw immigrants to urban centers. A migrant’s ability to move to a particular destination, find housing and employment, open a business, or access education and health care often depends upon his or her migrant network. A migrant network is the social tie that many migrants have to family, friends, and community members in both their places of origin and their new destination. That is, the migrant has connections across two or more countries, linking him or her other individuals who can aid in moving, obtaining work, and adjusting to the new destination country.
A parallel process that aids in the creation of ethnic enclaves is chain migration. This is when immigrants’ use their migrant network to bring friends and family from their home country to their new location. As new immigrants arrive, they settle in areas where their friends, family, and countrymen live. This action of chain migration facilitates the growth of immigrant neighborhoods. As neighborhoods grow, ethnic enclaves rise up, providing new immigrants with easier access to housing, jobs, and socializing, especially if they do not speak the language of the host …show more content…
In 1959, the Cuban Socialist Revolution brought Fidel Castro (1926-) to power and a flood of Cuban emigrants fled to the United States. According to research conducted by Portes and Manning in 1986, migration came in waves, with the first being of a wealthier class, bringing considerable assets with them. Along with having access to economic capital, these initial immigrants possessed a number of entrepreneurial and professional skills as well, which helped them to set a course for economic success. Portes and Manning found that many of these immigrants used their migrant networks to find jobs with South American banks, who had already been doing business in Miami. This allowed Cubans to secure loans for new Cuban immigrants, enabling a cycle of business ownership and employment to flourish and support the growing Cuban community. The following waves of immigration brought less skilled Cuban migrants, who were able to participate in the labor pool of the Cuban-owned businesses, without joining the secondary labor market. This ethnic economy option provided them with a quicker way to achieve economic opportunity and mobility in their new