The idea for this book first came about four years ago when I was asked to write about the social history of Latinos in Washington, DC and Maryland for an academic publication…
Abstract
The idea for this book first came about four years ago when I was asked to write about the social history of Latinos in Washington, DC and Maryland for an academic publication. One of the first difficulties I encountered then was that, with the exception of Marie Price, Audrey Singer, and few others, academics had largely overlooked the phenomenal growth of Hispanic immigrants in the District of Columbia and its suburbs while they continue to dedicate considerable amount of energy to demographic and social changes in other more traditional ethnic destinations like New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami.1 At the time, it was particularly difficult to assess the tipping point of when the Latinos community began to grow in the area and how that growth unfolded especially between the Great Depression and the 1960s. Yet, while doing archival research, I was surprised to find that the Hispanic presence, albeit a small one, in the region dates as far back as colonial times and that even some first- and second-generation Latinos, such as David G. Farragut, Juan de Miralles, and the civil engineer Aniceto Garcia Menocal, played a considerable role in the development of the capital city.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the possible relationship between conditions of national development, as measured by human development indicators (HDIs), and the…
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the possible relationship between conditions of national development, as measured by human development indicators (HDIs), and the segmented assimilation of Hispanics in Washington, DC.
Methodology/approach – To discuss the association between these two variables, I identified five indicators of assimilation discussed in the literature and matched them against the United Nations Development Program's (UNDP) ranking of nations according to their HDI composite index. In addition, I selected eight Hispanic groups’ representatives of the three tiers by which nations are ranked in the Human Development Report published by the UNDP.
Findings – My results show that conditions of national development impact immigrant assimilation, at least in the first generation.
Research limitations/implications – Due to the sample size and the peculiar conditions of Washington, DC, the findings presented require further testing.
Originality/value of paper – Despite these limitations, the findings make a significant contribution to the migration literature by taking into account how stock of knowledge contributes to the different rates of assimilation among immigrants with shared ethnicity.
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Enrique S. Pumar and Patrick Stark
The first point worthy of consideration is that, until recently, Washington was not a traditional destination for Hispanics and other foreign nationals migrating from developing…
Abstract
The first point worthy of consideration is that, until recently, Washington was not a traditional destination for Hispanics and other foreign nationals migrating from developing societies. Before the 1980s, when the Hispanic population exploded in the region, the city welcomed two waves of migrants. The first consisted of various waves of Europeans, primarily from Northern and Eastern Europe, who settled in DC as part of the migration wave of the late 19th century through the 1920s. Many from this group were professionals but the majority was journeyman simply employed in retailing and other low-cost entry services.1 Although we do not have an accurate and concrete account of the size of this migration wave, by simply examining the growth of the overall population of the city one can assert that the European migration at the turn of the 20th century in Washington did not amount to the proportions we witness today.
Recently there has been a resurgence in the study of how ideas shape policies. Two perspectives which dominate this literature are what Habermas has called the…
Abstract
Recently there has been a resurgence in the study of how ideas shape policies. Two perspectives which dominate this literature are what Habermas has called the empirical‐analytical tradition and historical‐hermeneutic tradition. These two epistemological positions represent contrasting views. They depict very different pictures of how ideas sway popular values and the policy choices confronted by policymakers. Each also raises important questions about how the processes of knowledge formation and promotion unfold and what actors play a dominant role in furthering these developments.
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Mark Hugo Lopez and Daniel Dockterman
Purpose – To provide a demographic portrait of Latinos in the Washington Metropolitan Area.Design/methodology/approach – This is a descriptive analysis using published results…
Abstract
Purpose – To provide a demographic portrait of Latinos in the Washington Metropolitan Area.
Design/methodology/approach – This is a descriptive analysis using published results from the 2010 U.S. Census and authors’ tabulations from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2009 American Community Survey.
Findings – According to the 2010 U.S. Census, more than 700,000 Latinos lived in the Washington metropolitan area. In many ways, Washington's Latino population is unique when compared to Latino populations in other U.S. metropolitan areas. For example, unlike other metropolitan areas, no single Hispanic origin group is in the majority in Washington. And while the largest Hispanic origin group in other metropolitan areas is often of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or Dominican origin, in the Washington metro area Salvadorans are the largest group. In other ways too, the Capital Region's Latino population is unique. It has the nation's largest Bolivian community. It has a greater share of immigrants than Latino populations in most other metropolitan areas. It has a higher share of college graduates among its Latino population than any other metropolitan area nationwide. And it is dynamic – growing fast and dispersing across the region.
Originality/value – This chapter provides a detailed demographic portrait of Latinos in the Washington, DC, area using the latest data sources available.