The Road II

Many immigrants have limited formal education, and they can barely read or write in their own native language and the U.S. government requires all prospective candidates for the U.S. citizenship to acquire at least the basic knowledge of the English language so they can pass their citizenship exam/interview.

In many instances, it is very difficult because of the many hours they have to work in factories to support their families. They know that they have to sacrifice and go to school to learn English, civics, and history because of the dream of being part of this society and becoming U.S. citizens. Also, many immigrants dreamed of becoming successful in America, but it does not work most of the time. In Capital, a critique of political economy, Marx, (1906) said that, “The directing motive, the end and the aim of capitalist production, is to extract the greatest possible amount of surplus-value, and consequently to exploit labour-power to the greatest possible extent.” (p.363). And in his book with Engels, The Communist Manifesto (1948), Marx said that unfortunately, “We cannot take from people what they have not” (p. 28). In the United States, in many instances, the capitalist minds of entrepreneurship take away what many immigrants struggle to achieve simply by exploiting them in the name of free market.

Cape Verde - A Brief History

The Cape Verde Islands are an archipelago with an ethnically diverse population, located approximately 300 miles from the West coast of Africa between the continents of Africa, Europe, and Americas. Cape Verde was discovered and settled in the 1460s by Portuguese sailors, and became a center for the distribution of West African slaves to the New World. Although Cape Verde is a very ethnically diverse country, at one point the situation in Cape Verde became uncontrollable and it was difficult to discern whether the European or African influences predominated in Cape Verde. As a result, many Cape-Verdean people are still confused about their ethnicity/identity, even today. Some are not sure whether they were European or African, and in many instances they accept both realities. Fortunately, in the United States they can check the “other” category, regardless of the color of their skin.

Economic problems and the drought in Cape Verde forced and are still forcing many Cape-Verdeans to come to America. Amilcar Cabral, the founding father of the Cape Verdean nationality, wanted people to feel empowered with an understanding of free society based on equality, rights, and privileges. On several occasions, he expressed that Africans have their own heads to think with, and that it was only a matter of time, before they become prosperous with liberty for all, and achieve the possibility of enjoying civil and democratic privileges regardless of their geographic location.

Wolf (1982) presents an outstanding view of what happened in Europe regarding trading, colonization, and other social matters during the imperial time. He explained how capitalism expanded throughout the world and devoted some of his attention to those who have been ignored by the “déjà vu” history. Wolf also pointed out that contrary to popular beliefs, many people of the world were well developed in many different areas such as culture, tradition, languages, and other areas when they encountered the European colonizers. He adds that trade and colonization changed the lifestyle of many native peoples, and spoke about the colonization impact in the arena of political, social, and economic transformation. I personally agree with the above statement. Africa had its own culture and values “taken away” by the imposition of colonial power.

Sklair (1999) said that politics are mostly bound up with anti systemic movements and struggles between superpowers and that they tend to prioritize the cultural over the political and/or the economic. He said that there is also a common interest in the question of how individual and/or national identity can survive in the face of an emerging global culture (pp. 149-150).

In this book, Sociology of the Global System (1991), Sklair demonstrates that the concept of the global system has a genuine scientific validity and that it is increasingly necessary for the analysis of a growing number of rapidly changing phenomena. Like any other idea, the author feels it exists in the minds of people.

According to my experience of the situation, right now, the globalization is not only in people’s minds but it is a reality. For example, because of the Internet, we are able to interact in real time with people in different corners of the world for many different reasons. Sklair, (1991) wrote that, “We are always being told that the world is shrinking and that the new technology is bringing the inhabitants of planet earth ever closer together, whether they like it or not” (p. 1).

We are connected as virtual professionals, educational institutions, businesses, and/or scientific communities. One can be in Australia and can have a real time connection/dialogue/chat with another person or organization in any other part of the world. This can certainly maximize the results in many different sectors and lower costs in terms of traveling. Also, time management is very important. If one can communicate virtually, there is no need to wait until the face-to-face happens to make a decision. Organizations and corporations brainstorm virtually when they want to create new projects. Instructors advise and or communicate with their students from any corner of the world. It is faster, more secure, and more reliable. About 10 years ago, online degrees were perceived to be of no value. Today, however, online degree programs are one of the most convenient and efficient ways to succeed academically and professionally.

We know and understand that globalization is real. Currently, most of our questions are being answered in real time by virtual teams in several calling centers throughout the world.  Therefore, globalization is not simply a dream. Instead, it is a process that works extremely well for the global community.

In addition to the fact that we are technologically connected, the United States was also built by generations of people who had dreams. Dudley, 2003, said that, “Racism and ethic prejudice…led many American to view immigrants as “undesirable” (p.19). However, these strong pioneers with their dreams took many risks to accomplish what they have achieved. They suffered and died just because they believed that

America was a promised land where they could enjoy freedom, equality, and prosperity. Contrarily to the many stereotype regarding immigrants, Lee, (1996) makes it clear that, “Many experts argue that immigration, legal or illegal brings economic growth, more wealth, and progress for all Americans and is, therefore, of general benefit to society” (p. 49).

Sklair (1998) said that influential people regularly argue that to survive, local businesses must globalize. However, most of national, state, and local leaders fight for the interests of their constituents and entirely reject globalization and espouse extreme nationalist ideologies (p.4).

United States is a society where when one claims to be its citizen, he or she is “defending” a strong values and integrity. He/she is probably talking about freedom and other opportunities available to them. As stated by Lewinsky (1088), “Their motives are not much different from those of the earliest immigrants. Some come for religious freedom …and others come for political reasons, fleeing dictatorship and political oppression” (p. 128). This was not the case with Cape-Verdeans. They came because of economic reasons and family reunion.

References

Dudley, W. (2003). Examining issues through political cartoons: Illegal immigration. Thomson Gale.

Lee, K. (1996). Illegal immigration. Lucent Books, Inc., San Diego, CA

Lewinski, M., Capurro, G., Clancy, E., Levine, H. & Nicholes, D. (1988). Consent of the Governed: A study of American Government. Scott, Foresman and Company.

Mark, K. (1906). Capital: A critique of political economy. (Bennett A. Cerf & Donald Klopper, The Modern Library.). New York. (Original work published 1859).

Sklair, L. (1991). Sociology of the global system. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

Sklair, L.  (May, 1998). Transnational practices and the analysis of the global system: Delivered for the transnational communities programme seminar series, 22

Sklair, L. (1999). Competing conceptions of globalization. Journal of World-System Research, Vol. V, 2, 1999, 143-162

Wolf, E. R. (1982). Europe and the people without history. The Regents of the University of California

The Road I

“He is an American, who leaves behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new

mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds”. Michel Crèvecoeur.

Sklair, (1991) wrote that, “The poor in all countries struggle against the domestic and global forces that oppress them and their resistance takes many forms. Where this involves opposition to those who run the global system in their own interests it will naturally involve transnational practices in the economics, political and cultural-ideological spheres” (pp.23-24).

As many of us know and believe, the United States of America is a land of opportunities and people with dreams. However, in many instances to achieve the dream, it is necessary to become a citizen of the United States.

In 1993, Pat Buchanan, a nationally syndicated columnist said that, “Immigration is altering the racial composition of America; by 2050, whites may be near a minority. Consequently, American society is becoming increasingly divided along racial lines. The resulting ethnic tensions could cause the breakup of the United States…” (p. 31). There are some merits to that statement but Americans should be careful because radical views like those of Mr. Buchanan have been complicating the lives of many honorable immigrants in search of better opportunities.

Considering that integration and citizenship in the United States are important issues, this article presents a perspective of a Cape-Verdean immigrant by explaining the necessary procedure to integrate and become an U.S. citizen. Saskia Sassen, (1998) wrote, “I believe that multilateralism is better way to proceed in a broad range of matters, including immigration, because it is essential to create-and-invent-policies that have received and sending countries working together” (p. 116).

Sklair (1999) explained that the global capitalism is the most productive theory in globalization and concluded with a discussion of resistance to globalization. He acknowledged that it is a new idea to the social science community although it has been around for some time within the corporate and international business world. He said that, “Not all globalization researchers entirely accept the existence of a global economy or a global culture. Most accept that local, national and regional economies are undergoing important changes as a result of processes of globalization everywhere there are limits to globalization” (p.145). In his 1991 book, “Sociology of the Global System,” Sklair added that, “Because the world is divided into sovereign states, most with relatively clear and unified national cultures, it is convenient to identify these states as the basic elements of the global system” (p. 2).

Due to the importance of the issue regarding immigrants’ integration, I am particularly interested in explaining about Cape-Verdean people, history, and culture, as well as the relationship between the United States and Cape Verde. I will emphasize the importance of citizenship for those Cape-Verdeans seeking to become U.S. citizens and will help them understand some key insights as to how to succeed in this country.  I will also stress the urgency for all prospective candidates to obtaining U.S. citizenship and inform them the specific steps of the process such as (a) the U.S. political system/structure and the two major political forces, (b) the laws of immigration, including immigrant’s rights and the correct procedure to follow in order to become a citizen, and (c) lived experiences of immigrants (themselves) and native-born Americans who kindly accepted to tell their stories.

As far as I know there are many citizenship guides/resources, but none of them focus specially on the Cape-Verdean people in America except one created by me in 2008 (CD, DVD, or text available upon request). The primary goal is to be able to provide Cape-Verdean immigrants with a culturally adequate document that will help them fulfill their goals during the process of naturalization.

I interviewed several Cape-Verdean immigrants in order to obtain their own personal stories and experiences. The interviewees were able to explain about the “crossroads” and “obstacles” that they found when they went along the road, as well as the aspects of the changes that they went through in terms of their own cultural values as they wend their way deeper into the process of becoming an U.S. citizen.

Eric Wolf (1982) presents an analysis of the new laborers and the way that their arrival speeded up the industrialization in United States. According to him, male immigrants to the United States between 1879 and 1918 outnumbered females roughly two to one. This was because of the traveling expenses and distance, so the majority of the newcomers stayed in America. He spoke about new opportunities that emerged and said that because of the purchase of more machines, more people were able to get jobs and support the growth of the American economy. The system allowed great flexibility in meeting the opportunities and requirements of growth, he added. Most of these workers entered the unskilled, lower-paid levels of industrial occupations and their wages were determined by their social affiliation/status. (pp. 354-383).

As for the majority of Cape-Verdean immigrants, one of their major barriers is the lack of basic knowledge of the English language. When people come from all over the world to the United States, it is crucial that they contact social organizations available to them in order to get information about American society. Needless to say that Cape-Verdean immigrants, like many others in America, first go through a readjustment and then, eventually get “established”. Many of them qualify for naturalization, but in order to become a citizen of the United States, they must learn how to speak, read, and write the basics of the English language in addition to learning of the American history and government. (Part II forthcoming)

 

References

Buchanan, P. (1993). America needs a ‘Time Out’ on immigration. In Bender, D., Leone, B., Koster, K. & Barbour, S. (1995). Immigration policy. (pp. 31-33). San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, Inc

Sassen, S. (1998). America must cooperate with other nations in regulating immigration. In Dudley, W. (2002). Illegal immigration: Oposing viewpoints. (pp. 113-119). San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press: Thomson Gale.

Sklair, L. (1991). Sociology of the global system. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

Sklair, L.  (May, 1998). Transnational practices and the analysis of the global system: Delivered for the transnational communities programme seminar series, 22

Sklair, L. (1999). Competing conceptions of globalization. Journal of World-System Research, Vol. V, 2, 1999, 143-162

Wolf, E. R. (1982). Europe and the people without history. The Regents of the University of California