Unbounded ethnic communities : the Greek-Canadian culturescape of South Florida
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Authors
Caravelis, Mary
Issue Date
2009-08-25T10:49:31Z
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Drawing insight from ethnic studies along with cultural and human geography,
the main focus of this thesis is to identify the cultural survival mechanisms of
immigrants by using as a case study the framework of the Greek-Canadian unbounded
ethnic community in South Florida. Greek- Canadians, being a twice-migrant group,
first in Canada and later in the United States, reflect the challenges contemporary
immigrants face in order to maintain their ethnic culture in this increasingly
transnational environment. In the past few years, researchers have examined the
impact of the spatial concentration of immigrants in large metropolitan areas with
little attention centered on ethnic communities that lack geographic propinquity. In
order to uncover the cultural survival mechanisms of this immigrant group, this study
suggests looking beyond the traditional model. This new model of ethnic community
is called `Culturescape.' This contemporary ethnic community not only meets the
needs of immigrants but also aids their cultural maintenance and preservation. The
use of the realism-structuration framework enables a multi-method research approach
in order to examine beyond the level of events and to explore the mechanisms that
generate the creation of unbounded ethnic communities. This study combines a
number of sources that have been collected over a three-year period. Multiple indepth
interviews with Greek immigrants were conducted not only in South Florida but
in Montreal as well. Additionally, an on- line structured survey open to all selfidentified
Greeks in South Florida was conducted. Field notes from many ethnic
events as well as official documents and the Internet were utilized. This research
reveals that Greek-Canadians constructed their culturescape as a strategy to maintain
and practice their ethnic culture. Their culturescape functions as a traditional geographically bounded ethnic community; however, it is a reflection of
contemporary global conditions. Based on this case-study, geographic setting does
matter because it structures the way cultures evolve. When immigrants move to a new
setting, a two-way process of cultural exchange inevitably takes place. Hence, the
Greek-Canadian culturescape is as unique as the setting that creates it.
Description
Citation
Caravelis, Mary (2009) Unbounded ethnic communities : the Greek-Canadian culturescape of South Florida, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/1093>