Gen 1.5: Where an immigrant generation fits in
Gen 1.5: Where an immigrant generation fits in
- March 22, 2012
- Ruben Rumbaut, sociology professor, is featured on Southern California Public Radio March 21, 2012
From Southern California Public Radio:
The experience of 1.5 generation immigrants, a term used to describe people who arrived
in the U.S. as children and adolescents, is a unique one. Unlike their first-generation
parents or U.S.-born siblings, their identity is split. They are American in many
ways, sometimes in most, but not entirely.... The 1.5 term isn't as widely used among
non-Asians, though it's gained popularity among Latinos lately. And interestingly,
though not all scholars agree with it, there's a 1.5-generation scale: [Ruben] Rumbaut,
who studies immigration as a professor at UC Irvine, came up with sub-categories to
describe who arrived at what age. According to the scale, those who arrived between
ages six and 12 are the truest 1.5s; those who came at age five or younger are "1.75s,"
closer to the second, with little or no memory of their native country. Older youths
who arrived between ages 13 and 17 would be "1.25s," more likely to have an outlook
similar to the first generation.
For the full story, please visit http://multiamerican.scpr.org/2012/03/what-is-a-1-5-where-an-immigrant-g....
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