This weeks readings kind of reinforced the ideas from last weeks. The idea that I’m talking about obviously being transnationalism. A quick recap of last week explored what it meant to be a transnational. Traditionally people think that transnationals drop all relations with their home country in favor of the fruits of a new country. However, the word has been redefined to refer to people who maintain a dual identity for two countries. “Trust Networks in Transnational Migration” focuses more on the unifying theme of money in migration from one country to another.
The trust networks that Tilly describes involve a sending of remittances from family members in more profitable countries such as the United States to their home countries, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean as this article examines. An important aspect to this trust network is the ability for migrants to find successful foundations for their trust networks. Tilly elaborates that migrants tend to find narrow opportunities in for work, housing, sociability, and welfare often due to levels of discrimination found in modern day society. He continues that when these needs are met, the trust network flourishes and migrants can maintain strong ties with their families back home until the point when, hopefully, more family members can make the transition to the new country. However, when these needs are not met, the system fails and transnational ties are not so easily maintained.
Another major aspect of trust networks that Tilly points out is the importance of a second generation to continue out a particular network. However, this opportunity is often limited by the “social segregation or integration of the immigrant stream at the destination.” Often times, as previously mentioned, when opportunities are limited due to unfair discrimination of immigrants, the trust network ultimately fails.
This article particularly spoke out to me for multiple reasons. For starters, my dad was a first generation immigrant from Peru, just like Tilly, when he made the trip to New York City. He was the first of his family to make the trek, and any other possibilities of other family members coming over depended on his success. Like other immigrants he often sent home remittances to help support his family. He became very lucky with the opportunities he found and the family he started and eventually he paved the way for his brother, my tio, to make the trip as well. Soon after my tio was able to settle and start a family of his own all because of the trust network that my father had started many years prior.
The other reason this article spoke out to me was, that being a second generation immigrant, I need to find my own successful opportunities to possibly start my own trust networks. Though we don’t quite share the same strong connections that my father does with Peru, my brothers and I could play a pivotal role in the ability of our first cousins to make the trip up to New York. Furthermore, I feel safe knowing that within one of the greatest cities in the world, my opportunities will never be limited. I think it is safe to say that there is very limited, if any, segregation of society for different races such as myself. This leaves me with all the opportunity I could possibly need to be successful in my life as a second generation immigrant and to build a successful trust network of my own.
