Immigration and ethnic issues are currently present in political discussions in the U.S. It is important to understand how immigration as a whole helps historians understand U.S. history. An issue that involves immigration debates in the South is the idea of Latinization introduced by Raymond Mohl in his article "Globalization, Latinization, and the Nuevo New South". He defines Latinization as a low-wage and low-skill labor market emphasizing Spanish speaking Latin American workers in manufacturing, construction and agriculture. He focuses primarily on Mexican-born immigrants and their influence on the labor force of Alabama's rural and urban economy. By extending this idea, scholars should also look at the role of non-Spanish speaking Latin Americans within Latinization. For instance, the Brazilian immigrants could also fit into Latinization in geographic terms. Brazilians are Portuguese speakers from a Latin American country with multi-ethnic backgrounds that could be included into Latinization. It is crucial that a brief historiography of ethnic history in the U.S. is introduced first in this research for a complete understanding for an analysis of Brazilian immigration in Florida within the context of Latinization.

The dominant discourse in Korea is that Canada is a multicultural country wherein no racial discrimination exists. This significantly contributes to making Canada their first choice of destination. The purpose of this study was to explore the barriers faced by Korean skilled immigrants in the Canadian labour. This thesis presents the findings of a qualitative study. Six participants were interviewed, who have lived in Canada for at least three, and using a semi-structured interview guide. Interviews were conducted in Korean, transcribed and later translated for analysis. Critical Race Theory and Democratic Racism were used as theoretical frameworks. This informed a critical review of major theoretical concepts, data collection and analysis. The findings indicate that structural exclusion was a significant barrier faced by the participants. Structural exclusion includes lack of recognition of international knowledge; conventional hiring practice in Canada; accented English; and settlement services not meeting the needs of skilled immigrants. Also, it was found that as their state of unemployment or underemployment continued for a long time, they experienced loss of identity and low self-esteem. Furthermore, how they respond to such exclusion was too a significant finding. While some of the participants sought to take additional Canadian education in order to overcome the barriers, others gave up efforts to integrate into the mainstream or were planning to go back to Korea. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

Immigration law and its enforcement are controversial and highly debated topics. States are increasing their role in the enforcement of immigration law by enacting laws that allow local law enforcement to function as immigration officers with the intent of decreasing the illegal alien population within their jurisdiction. The primary focus of this thesis is to determine whether state and local police have the legal power to enforce immigration laws that have been the jurisdiction of the Federal Government for decades. There are two sides that are discussed in this thesis, the proponents who are in favor of increased participation and those who oppose it. The proponents argue that federal law has not preempted states from enforcing immigration law and that states have inherent authority to do this. The critics argue that this is unconstitutional because the constitution and other legal authorities grant exclusive power to the Federal Government in the area of immigration law. Through the analysis of constitutional provisions, case law and statutes, quantitative statistics, anecdotal evidence, federal and state programs, and governmental resources this thesis evaluates the current role of state and local authorities and proposes a different role for local jurisdictions in the enforcement of immigration law. Evidence shows that states are allowed to enforce some immigration laws but doing this has negative consequences for the people, the states, and the nation. Research shows that increased participation from local law enforcement leads to racial profiling, civil rights violations, and damages the relationship between the police and the community; therefore, the line between state and federal enforcement should be monitored carefully.

Many healthcare professionals from lower-income countries seek to improve their circumstances by immigrating to higher-income countries. However, successfully integrating into these different socio-cultural environments can be a challenge and, as a result, the skills these individuals bring may be underutilized. While substantial research around immigration experiences of physicians and nurses appear in the literature, little is known about the experiences of dentists. This study explored the migration motives and post-migration experiences of Iranian dentists living and working in Ontario, Canada. The intention was to identify potential barriers and facilitators of their integration in order to identify practical solutions to improve their experiences. Following a qualitative approach, eleven personal interviews were conducted through the Zoom platform. A semi-structured interview guide consisting of two main areas of migration motivation and post-migration integration was used. Interviews were conducted in English and thematically analyzed through Dedoose software. Socio-political and economic issues, including poor governance, political repression, currency devaluation, and incompatible social ethos were the main reasons behind Iranian dentists migrating to Canada. Canada’s multicultural friendly environment, along with peace and stability, were reported as the major pull factors of migration. However, participants experienced significant challenges, especially in terms of integrating into Canadian society and the process of having the equivalency of their dental education evaluated. These barriers were categorized into two main themes, including “socio-cultural” and “institutional” problems. Language barriers, tough and stressful equivalency examinations, and lack of familiarity with the Canadian dental system were key issues. However, ethnic networks, family supports, and examination preparation courses were identified as mitigating factors that facilitated a more positive migration experience. Findings reveal that Iranian dentists and their families are stressed both financially and emotionally, mainly throughout the dental qualifications equivalency process; many applicants are unsuccessful in having their qualifications recognized or at least in a reasonable time period. The skills they bring are therefore not benefiting either themselves or Canada. Meanwhile, it appears that a systematic and institutionalized bias against foreign-trained dentists, including Iranian dentists, makes the process even more difficult. Regulatory college and board examinations may intentionally or unintentionally serve to limit foreign-trained dentists’ access to practicing for several reasons including racial attitudes or saving jobs for Canadian trained dentists. Several recommendations to improve the situation are identified. The National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB) needs to revise its strategy by enhancing information about the equivalency and licensing process while providing information about mental health supports and financial aids for international applicants. Shadowing program opportunities and general orientation courses for international dentists could help International Dental Graduates’ (IDGs) to learn about dental system and practice dentistry in Canada. / Thesis / Master of Health Sciences (MSc) / This case study used in-depth interviews to study Iranian dentists who migrate to Canada. The main goal was to identify factors that impact full integration into Canadian society. Barriers to determining the equivalency of their qualifications was the predominant obstacle which put financial and emotional stress on applicants and their families. The system may have been set up in a way that systematically disadvantages foreign-trained dentists. In order to ensure maximal use of these oral healthcare professionals in Canada, it is necessary to facilitate the integration process through enhancing support networks and making available examination preparation courses.

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The goal of this thesis is to gain insight on the psychology of migratory populations. Immigrants and non-immigrants show differences throughout some dimensions of the Five Factor model of personality. We conducted three large scale empirical studies to address different questions about immigration, personality and language use. In Chapter 1, we use personality scores and geographical information from more than 1.5 million responders to investigate which traits can predict different migration distances within and across national borders. Our results highlight the mechanisms of how one’s transitory psychological configuration can assist, accompany or interfere with the act of migration. In Chapter 2, we examine how one’s migration affects their levels of openness, and how this relationship is modulated by other known determinants of personality traits such as age and gender. Our findings shed light on the psychological effects of immigration and consider how these effects are modulated by people of different age and gender. Finally, in Chapter 3 we use demographic, psychological and textual data from Facebook to determine how differences in personality of immigrants and non-immigrants are reflected in their language use on Facebook. The comprehensive exploration carried out in Chapter 3 gives insights on how language use distinguishes people of different immigration status. Taken together, our results contribute with both new evidence and insights to the knowledge about the psychological components of immigration and differences in language use among immigrants and non-immigrants. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / The goal of this thesis is to gain insight on the psychology of migratory populations. We conducted three large scale empirical studies to address different questions about immigration, personality and language use. Immigrants and non-immigrants show differences throughout some dimensions of the Five Factor model of personality. We observed which personality traits can predict different migration distances, but also how one’s migration affects their levels of openness. Finally, we examined whether differences in personality of immigrants and non-immigrants are reflected in their language use on social media. Taken together, our results contribute with both new evidence and insights to the knowledge about the psychological components of immigration and differences in language use among immigrants and non-immigrants.

Using Michel Foucault and Edward Said's theoretical contributions regarding discursive formations, this thesis performs a critical discourse analysis of the anti-immigration discourse in America; a flawed rhetoric that uses the power of language to create is own truth. The ultimate research question of this thesis asks what can be learned about the discursive formations of the anti-immigration rhetoric from Foucault and Said's contributions. To begin, varying aspects of discourse are discussed, such as non-critical and critical discourse analysis. The concept of discourse, as will be used in this thesis, is heavily indebted to the scholarly work of Michel Foucault. As such, a review of Foucault's contributions showing how discourse allows some to gain power over others and then to create a self-sustaining truth will be used as a base from which all argument shall be built. Next, this thesis explores Said's discourse theory, which extends Foucault's concept of discourse to claim that those in power often assert a knowledge of others that is not accurate, but serves the purpose of maintaining a dominating status over them. This is followed by a critical discourse analysis of texts produced by key authors in the American anti-immigration discourse such as Samuel Huntington, Tom Tancredo, and Pat Buchanan in order to provide insight into their anti-immigration rhetoric. In conclusion, by unpacking the anti-immigration discourse, the reader will discover a discursive method that clearly parallels that which is so heavily critiqued by Foucault and Said, namely the construction of knowledge through inaccurate and flawed discourses. / Master of Arts