Volume 11, 2002

Issue N. 3

Brendan Mullan, Lorraine Majka and Chong-Anna Rumsey

"Social Adaptation Problems Among Amerasian Refugees," Vol. 11 (3), p. 275-296, 2002
 

In this paper we describe and explain a variety of problems experienced by Amerasian youths upon their resettlement in the United States. We examine a matrix of contextual, household and individual behavioral predictors of Amerasian youths’ problems and we argue that, taken individually, existing theoretical frameworks do not adequately explain the Amerasian adaptation process. The most significant predictors of Amerasian youths’ problems are an unstable home environment, gender (maleness), whether or not the mother reported mental and physical problems, and the type of assistance provider (mutual assistance association). We add to existing research on Amerasians’ process of adaptation by incorporating a wider variety of youths’ problems into the dependent variable, by including hitherto unavailable independent variables into the analysis, and by suggesting some immediate strategies and new policy initiatives aimed at helping resettlement agencies deal with this specialized immigrant population. In sum, we demonstrate that Amerasians’ unofficially “mixed” immigration status

Graeme Hugo
"Pengungsi - Indonesia's Internally Displaced Persons," Vol. 11 (3), p. 297-332, 2002

Indonesia currently has one of the largest groups of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of any nation in the world. This paper assesses the scale and patterns of such movement in Indonesia as at the beginning of 2002. It begins by assessing conflict as a cause of internal migration and shows how such movement was significant during the first two decades of independence in Indonesia. The current patterns of movement of IDPs in Indonesia are then outlined with the main origins being in the Outer Island provinces of Maluku, East Timor, Aceh, Central Sulawesi, Central Kalimantan, Papua and West Kalimantan. Around half of the current 1.3 million IDPs are housed in "refugee camps," often in crowded and unhygienic conditions. Several of the expulsions of IDPs have come from areas where there have been earlier influxes of migrants, especially transmigrants of Java-Bali origins and the so-called BBM (Bugis, Butonese and Makassarese from South Sulawesi), with different ethnoreligious backgrounds than the native residents. The release of central control following the fall of the Suharto regime and the onset of the financial crisis have seen simmering newcomer/native, ethnic, religious and economic tensions rise to the surface to create the large scale expulsions. The Indonesian government has put forward a strategy to "solve" the IDP problem by the end of 2002. This is assessed and some of the medium and long-term implications of the movement discussed.

Lai-kwan Regin Ip. Wing Hong Chui
"Resettlement Experiences of Five Chinese Skilled Women Migrants to Australia," Vol. 11 (3), p. 333-356, 2002
 

A rich migration literature has been written on the issues and difficulties that Chinese migrants encountered in their adjustment in various host countries. Instead of focusing on negative migration experiences, this paper aims to examine the subjective experiences of middle-class Chinese women who perceived themselves as successfully settled in Australia. More specifically, this paper analyzes the in-depth interviews of five skilled women migrants from Hong Kong to understand how they were able to overcome obstacles during their early resettlement years. A content analysis of interviews allowed themes to emerge that revealed how the five women were able to resettle in Australia. Their responses fall into three themes that are explored in this paper: (1) common issues faced at the start of resettlement, (2) the recognition of individual resilience and informal social support in facing adversity and resettlement in Australia, and (3) possible strategies to orient themselves to life in a new country.

Fei Guo
"School Attendance of Migrant Children in Beijing, China: A Multivariate Analysis," Vol. 11 (3), p. 357-374, 2002
 

Recent trends in rural to urban migration in China indicate that more migrants are moving to the cities with their families, including young children. Without an urban household registration or hukou, migrant children do not have access to local schools in the cities, raising many concerns about the children’s well-being. Using data from the 1997 Migrant Census in Beijing, this study sought to describe the social and demographic characteristics of migrant children in Beijing, to examine the patterns of school attendance of migrant children and to determine the factors affecting their school attendance. The study found that 88 percent of migrant children in Beijing were attending school. Migrant children whose parents had higher education, were non-agricultural hukou holders and those who had longer residence in Beijing had higher rates of school attendance. The study found some differences on the children’s school attendance when the characteristics of migrant fathers and migrant mothers were examined separately.

Jia Gao
"The Role of Primary Social Groups in Migration Decision-Making: A Case Study of Chinese Students in Australia," Vol. 11 (3), p. 375-398, 2002
 

This article sought to analyze the role of primary social groups on the migration decision-making process of on-shore asylum seekers. Previous research on migration decision-making had been dominated by an individual-family-community analysis, and failed to consider the role of other social groups. This article is based on research on the Chinese students living in Australia at the time of the June 4, 1989 event in Beijing. Their experience was used to conceptualize the role of the migrants’ primary social groups in migration decisions. The article addressed several themes of group-based migration decision-making and outlined the basic characteristics of the primary social group as a decision-making unit.

 

BOOK REVIEW

Jørgen Carling

"Gender and Migration in Southern Europe: Women on the Move"

By Floya Anthias and Gabriela Lazaridis, Vol. 11 (3), p. 399-400, 2002

Shirlena Huang
"Servants of Globalization: Women, Migration and Domestic Work"

By Rhacel Salazar Parreñas Vol. 11 (3), p. 401-402, 2002