| In the United States today, 'new immigrants' are incorporated into American society differently than immigrants of previous migrant waves. These new immigrants are 'transnationals' and they are increasingly migrating from the global South, especially from the Caribbean. Shaped by a history of colonialism and globalization that engenders a culture of constant migration, Caribbean identity is fluid, contextual, hybrid and hyphenated. For twice-migrant groups such as Indo-Guyanese---a group that migrated from East India to Guyana, then to the United States---identity must be further redefined. This study explores how the transnational experience shapes the culture and identity (the attitudes, roles, values and beliefs, as well as ethnic identification) for first generation Indo-Guyanese immigrants in Queens, New York. This study utilizes ethnography and in-depth interviews of English-speaking first generation Indo-Guyanese immigrants in Little Guyana, an Indo-Guyanese transnational community in Queens. Findings focus on the experiences of migration and adjustment, community issues in Little Guyana, and the liminal identity of Indo-Guyanese. |
