In the process of transition from one social order to another, immigrants implement intentional or circumstantial adjustment strategies to position themselves in the new social structure, Within the broad perspective ...In the process of transition from one social order to another, immigrants implement intentional or circumstantial adjustment strategies to position themselves in the new social structure, Within the broad perspective of immigrants＇ incorporation into the receiving society, the present paper focuses on analysis at the micro-level, i,e., bottom-up strategies. These coping strategies define the social positioning of an individual. Through the structure-agency theoretical framework, this article analyses adjustment strategies used by immigrants in order to become members of the receiving society. This is discovered through semi-structured biographical interviews with female immigrants to Germany from former Soviet countries conducted by the author in 2012-2013 in Kaiserslautern. Several positioning strategies emerged in the course of these interviews： ＂destination as a way to a better life＂; ＂trip to joint self＂ which includes ＂identity as a task＂ and change of the behavioral patterns; shift in gender roles; usage of the imported educational capital; work of a ＂stranger next door＂; and social networking, The analysis of immigrants＇ adjustment strategies allows one to see the complexity of the incorporation processes into the receiving society： from essential personality traits such as imagination and aspirations, identity and roles to practically applicable aspects such as education, work, and networking.展开更多
文摘In the process of transition from one social order to another, immigrants implement intentional or circumstantial adjustment strategies to position themselves in the new social structure, Within the broad perspective of immigrants＇ incorporation into the receiving society, the present paper focuses on analysis at the micro-level, i,e., bottom-up strategies. These coping strategies define the social positioning of an individual. Through the structure-agency theoretical framework, this article analyses adjustment strategies used by immigrants in order to become members of the receiving society. This is discovered through semi-structured biographical interviews with female immigrants to Germany from former Soviet countries conducted by the author in 2012-2013 in Kaiserslautern. Several positioning strategies emerged in the course of these interviews： ＂destination as a way to a better life＂; ＂trip to joint self＂ which includes ＂identity as a task＂ and change of the behavioral patterns; shift in gender roles; usage of the imported educational capital; work of a ＂stranger next door＂; and social networking, The analysis of immigrants＇ adjustment strategies allows one to see the complexity of the incorporation processes into the receiving society： from essential personality traits such as imagination and aspirations, identity and roles to practically applicable aspects such as education, work, and networking.
