The Transnational Villagers

by Peggy Levitt

Contrary to popular opinion, increasing numbers of migrants continue to participate in the political, social, and economic lives of their countries of origin even as they put down roots in the United States. The Transnational Villagers offers a detailed, compelling account of how ordinary people keep their feet in two worlds and create communities that span borders. Peggy Levitt explores the powerful familial, religious, and political connections that arise between Miraflores, a town in the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica Plain, a neighborhood in Boston and examines the ways in which these ties transform life in both the home and host country.

The Transnational Villagers is one of only a few books based on in-depth fieldwork in the countries of origin and reception. It provides a moving, detailed account of how transnational migration transforms family and work life, challenges migrants' ideas about race and gender, and alters life for those who stay behind as much, if not more, than for those who migrate. It calls into question conventional thinking about immigration by showing that assimilation and transnational lifestyles are not incompatible. In fact, in this era of increasing economic and political globalization, living transnationally may become the rule rather than the exception.

281 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Elzbieta Gozdziak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-reading it for my immigrant integration class. Looking forward to class discussion. Students usually engage with this book quite well.

They did not disappoint this year... we had quite a dynamic discussion on whether transnationalism is compatible with immigrant integration.

[Caroline Geer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting mix of ethnography and demography. For my SOC 852 course on migration.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Peggy Levitt explores the nature of the transnational village of Miraflores, which exists not only in the Dominican Republic, but also in Boston, Massachusetts. Rather than being two different communities, she argues, each location is inexorably tied with and dependent upon the other in such a way that they actually are the same social entity. The migrants that move to Boston may become integrated into the United States in some ways, but they remain not only loyal, but active in their home communities economically, politically, and socially. Common ties such as political parties, the Church, and community development groups allow Mirafloreños to remain an integral part of both worlds.

One aspect that Levitt only touches on only superficially in this book is the alienation that is forced upon Dominican migrants in Boston. She attributes feelings of difference to the relatively small size of the Dominican community, the language barriers, and the limited educational background of migrants, but denies the existence of a “monolithic ‘American’ culture” (pg. 4), even while her argument supports it. For example, she discusses how Mirafloreños initially feel out of place in the Catholic churches in Boston because have a different set of priorities and rituals than those to which the Mirafloreños are accustomed (pg. 170). I believe that much of this is a reflection of a nation-wide American culture whose values are comprised of capitalistic economics, individualism, living by the clock, institutionalization, and upward mobility. Because many of the Dominican values differ from these, there is a certain level of culture clash. To deal with these differences, Mirafloreños cling to the transnational village as a location of cultural comfort, at least until the second or their generation has fully assimilated into the culture of the United States.

Overall, I think this book does a very good job of painting a relatively full picture of the transnational lives of Mirafloreños. I also very much appreciate how she situated current migrations within a historical context, pointing out that the transnational village is not an entirely new construct, as has been asserted in some of the academic literature on the topic. While the nature of transnational living has changed with new communication and transportation technology, the concept is not one that is unique to the late 20th and early 21st centuries. I believe that this book is an extraordinarily valuable resource in developing a full comprehension of the complexities of the transnational experience.

[ryo narasaki · Rating 2 out of 5]

i feel .... ambivalent.
there were a few things i thought were useful about the book - better sense of the history of US-Caribbean relations, DR history, o.k. analysis of "gender" and "race" ....
i guess it was good to read the individual quotes alongside the contextual analysis, i just feel like something is missing.
maybe i have put my acacdemic brain aside for too long but it doesnt seem that levitt has a clear thesis. it's hard for me to get into this book without knowing what her point is.