This dissertation examines the history and importance of Oklahoma City's Black Ethnic Enclave. It focuses on how this community developed over generations and the role of its leaders in shaping its identity, despite facing segregation. The settlement in this region began in 1889 when unassigned lands in central Indian Territory were opened for homesteaders by the US government. As a result, Oklahoma City became one of the major towns and eventually the state's capital. Most historical accounts primarily focus on the viewpoint of the white founders of the city, ignoring the experiences of minority residents and the urban aspects of the city. This study takes an interdisciplinary approach, combining historical analysis, urban studies, and sociocultural perspectives. It aims to understand the complex relationship between racial dynamics, urban development, and identity formation. By thoroughly examining primary and secondary sources like archival records, oral histories, and scholarly literature, the research uncovers the struggles, achievements, and cultural contributions of the community builders who overcame systemic barriers to create a thriving enclave within Oklahoma City. By highlighting their stories, this research enriches our understanding of the city's history and the diverse urban experiences it encompasses.

Trata-se do enclave étnico dos imigrantes coreanos do bairro do Bom Retiro, localizado na zona central da cidade de São Paulo, tendo como objetivo detectar seus aspectos urbano -espaciais e expô-los através de uma descrição sintética baseada nos trabalhos de campo. Através dela, procura-se estabelecer as relações entre os diferentes espaços do cotidiano dos coreanos do bairro dedicados ao trabalho, à moradia e à convivência intraétnica. A partir do modelo de territorialização do enclave étnico, tenta-se compreender a estrutura de relações humanas que está na base dessa constituição espacial, e propõe refletir sobre o caráter multicultural do Bom Retiro que se escora na economia do vestuário, e também sobre as particularidades da sua transformação espacial decorrente do processo de sucessão étnica. / It concerns the Korean immigrants ethnic enclave in the Bom Retiro neighbourhood located at São Paulo\'s city downtown area, aiming to find its spatial-urban aspects and exhibiting them through a field research based description. Trough this, it establishes relations among everyday life places that are dedicated to work, housing and intraethnic congregation. From the ethnic enclave territorialization model, it tries to understand the existing human relations structure in the base of this spatial constitution, proposing a reflection on the multicultural aspect of Bom Retiro which is supported by the garment manufacturing economy, and on the particularities of its spatial transformation derived from the ethnic succession process.

In the United States, immigrant entrepreneurs start almost one third of all new businesses. However, many immigrant entrepreneurs lack the knowledge or expertise to evolve their businesses beyond the ethnic enclave where the businesses are located. This multiple case study captured the strategies used by 5 Latino immigrant business owners who successfully expanded their business beyond their ethnic enclave. The conceptual framework for this study was dynamic capabilities theory. Data were collected from interviews, company documents, and observations of the operation of businesses and owners. Member checking and transcript reviews were used to enhance the reliability and credibility of the data. Miles, Huberman, and Saldana's data analysis method was used to identify 6 themes that yielded 3 possible strategies to help Latino immigrant business owners expand outside of their enclave: (a) adopt a multicultural hybridism model changing the internal make-up of the employee base to include more interethnic labor and managerial resources; (b) achieve language and cultural proficiency of the host community; and (c) seek and nurture professional development and mentorship relationships to obtain access to advice, opportunities, and financial resources. Also noted was the importance of individual readiness to seize opportunities and being tenacious in their business efforts. The study findings may contribute to positive social change because strategies that help immigrant entrepreneurs succeed have benefits that extend beyond their immediate family to the broader communities in which they operate by increasing job creation, wealth accumulation, and the development of society.

This study examines the experiences of highly educated South Asian immigrant women working as home-based entrepreneurs within ethnic enclaves in Toronto, Canada. The importance of their work and experiences need to be understood in the context of two processes. On the one hand, there is the neoliberal hegemonic discourse of “enterprising self” that encourages individuals to become “productive”, self-responsible, citizen-subjects, without depending on state help or welfare to succeed in the labour market. On the other hand, there is the racialized and gendered labour market that systematically devalues the previous education and skills of non-white immigrants and pushes them towards jobs that are low-paid, temporary and precarious in nature. In the light of the above situations, I argue that in the process of setting up their home-based businesses, South Asian immigrant women in my study negotiate the barriers they experience in two ways. First, despite being inducted into different (re)training and (re)learning that aim to improve their deficiencies, they continue to believe in their abilities and resourcefulness, thereby challenging the “remedial” processes that try to locate lack in their abilities. Second, by negotiating gender ideologies within their families and drawing on community ties within enclaves they keep at check the individuating and achievement oriented ideology of neoliberalism. They, therefore, demonstrate how the values of an “enterprising self” can be based on collaboration and relationship rather than competition, profit or material success. The concept of “negotiation”, as employed in this thesis, denotes a form of agency different from the commonly perceived notions of agency as formal, large-scale, macro organization or resistance. Rather, the concept is based on how women resort to multiple, various and situational practices of conformity and contestation that often can blend into each other.

This study examines the experiences of highly educated South Asian immigrant women working as home-based entrepreneurs within ethnic enclaves in Toronto, Canada. The importance of their work and experiences need to be understood in the context of two processes. On the one hand, there is the neoliberal hegemonic discourse of “enterprising self” that encourages individuals to become “productive”, self-responsible, citizen-subjects, without depending on state help or welfare to succeed in the labour market. On the other hand, there is the racialized and gendered labour market that systematically devalues the previous education and skills of non-white immigrants and pushes them towards jobs that are low-paid, temporary and precarious in nature. In the light of the above situations, I argue that in the process of setting up their home-based businesses, South Asian immigrant women in my study negotiate the barriers they experience in two ways. First, despite being inducted into different (re)training and (re)learning that aim to improve their deficiencies, they continue to believe in their abilities and resourcefulness, thereby challenging the “remedial” processes that try to locate lack in their abilities. Second, by negotiating gender ideologies within their families and drawing on community ties within enclaves they keep at check the individuating and achievement oriented ideology of neoliberalism. They, therefore, demonstrate how the values of an “enterprising self” can be based on collaboration and relationship rather than competition, profit or material success. The concept of “negotiation”, as employed in this thesis, denotes a form of agency different from the commonly perceived notions of agency as formal, large-scale, macro organization or resistance. Rather, the concept is based on how women resort to multiple, various and situational practices of conformity and contestation that often can blend into each other.

Trata-se do enclave étnico dos imigrantes coreanos do bairro do Bom Retiro, localizado na zona central da cidade de São Paulo, tendo como objetivo detectar seus aspectos urbano -espaciais e expô-los através de uma descrição sintética baseada nos trabalhos de campo. Através dela, procura-se estabelecer as relações entre os diferentes espaços do cotidiano dos coreanos do bairro dedicados ao trabalho, à moradia e à convivência intraétnica. A partir do modelo de territorialização do enclave étnico, tenta-se compreender a estrutura de relações humanas que está na base dessa constituição espacial, e propõe refletir sobre o caráter multicultural do Bom Retiro que se escora na economia do vestuário, e também sobre as particularidades da sua transformação espacial decorrente do processo de sucessão étnica. / It concerns the Korean immigrants ethnic enclave in the Bom Retiro neighbourhood located at São Paulo\'s city downtown area, aiming to find its spatial-urban aspects and exhibiting them through a field research based description. Trough this, it establishes relations among everyday life places that are dedicated to work, housing and intraethnic congregation. From the ethnic enclave territorialization model, it tries to understand the existing human relations structure in the base of this spatial constitution, proposing a reflection on the multicultural aspect of Bom Retiro which is supported by the garment manufacturing economy, and on the particularities of its spatial transformation derived from the ethnic succession process.

Cette thèse explore les deux sujets suivants: (i) les déterminants de la participation à la population active des personnes âgées aux États-Unis; (ii) le rôle du réseau social dans le niveau de revenus de travail des immigrants récents au Canada. Plus précisément, le chapitre 1 utilise les données du Health and Retirement Study (HRS) pour fournir des estimations de l’effet causal du prix des maisons au niveau local sur les décisions d’offre de travail des individus âgés aux États-Unis, au cours de la période du boom immobilier 1994- 2004. Le prix des maisons est instrumentalisé par des variations spatiales et temporelles de chocs plausiblement exogènes de l’offre de crédit. Les estimations suggèrent que le boom immobilier durant la période considérée pourrait expliquer jusqu’à deux tiers des sorties de la population active des hommes âgés aux États-Unis. Le chapitre 2 répond à la question: les personnes en bonne santé sont-elles plus susceptibles de rester sur le marché du travail lorsque le chômage augmente? Ce travail fournit des estimations empiriques de l’impact relatif des chocs de chômage au niveau local sur la participation au marché du travail des américains âgés ayant des états de santé hétérogènes. Cette étude montre que la plupart des départs de travailleurs âgés pendant la Grande récession peuvent être attribués à de mauvaises conditions de santé, telles que mesurées, avant la récession. Enfin, le chapitre 3 analyse l’effet du fait de vivre dans un quartier où la majorité des résidents appartient à des minorités visibles sur les gains des résidents permanents qui sont arrivés à Montréal, Vancouver et Toronto en 2001. Dans l’ensemble, cette recherche documente un effet négatif du regroupement ethnique sur les gains des immigrants récents au Canada et l’explique par "l’effet d’aiguillage". / This thesis explores the following two topics : (i) determinants of labor force participation at older ages in the US ; (ii) the role of social network in the earnings of recent immigrants in Canada. Specifically, Chapter 1 provides estimates of the causal effect of local house prices on the labor supply decisions of older workers in the US during the 1994-2004 housing boom period using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Local house prices are instrumented by plausible exogenous spatial and time-varying credit supply shocks. The estimates suggest that the housing boom accounted for about two thirds of older men labor force exit during the studied period. Chapter 2 responds to the question : are people in good health more likely to stay in the labor market when unemployment rises? This work provides empirical estimates of the relative impact of local unemployment shocks on the labor force participation of US older workers with heterogeneous health conditions. This study documents that most of the labor force exit of older workers during the Great recession can be attributed to poor health conditions measured before the recession. Finally, Chapter 3 analyses the effect of living in a neighborhood where the majority of the residents belongs to visible minority groups on the earnings of permanent residents who landed in Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto in 2001. Overall, this research documents a negative effect of ethnic clustering on the earnings of recent immigrants in Canada and explain it by the "referral effect".