Learning to labor, learning to succeed: a comparative study of the the children of immigrants

Based on a 15-year multi-sited ethnographic research, this book investigates the integration of the children of immigrants (the second generation); specifically, the experiences of the children of immigrants from Mexico in the US, North Africa in France and Turkey in Germany.

The three groups are chosen for being the largest groups of immigrants in the respective countries, whose integration is often considered incomplete and even troubled at times.

The analysis draws on immigration theories such as neo-assimilation, segmented assimilation and comparative integration contexts, and Bourdieusian concepts of social reproduction, and social and cultural capital to account for the interaction between different institutional arrangements and subjective experiences and agency with regards to socio-economic integration.

Investigating the experiences of the children of immigrants in schools and in the labor market, the book maps out their trajectories and perceptions of their own incorporations including hopes and dreams, obstacles and opportunities, and accomplishments.

In addition to providing a detailed account of their own experiences, the book also offers a typology of experiences that would be useful for future research in the field.

The analysis provides in-depth longitudinal and comparative analysis that is rare in migration studies and therefore offers theoretical and empirical contributions useful for academics and policy makers.