Fictions about the Forces Driving Migration
Think of — to use a purposefully loaded term—an “immigrant novel.” Central to the narrative is a certain kind of character: a recent immigrant, or a child of immigrants, who moved to seek opportunity in the United States because of financial, political, or other hardship in their native country. The protagonist must navigate a new environment, such as school or work, while maintaining some level of connection to their origins. Challenges ensue; questions arise. What do they owe the people they’ve left behind? What does it mean to become an American?
Many important works of fiction have used this template to explore questions of migration and identity. But these narratives also have shortcomings, says Cabot professor of American literature Glenda Carpio. In their narrow focus on how individual immigrants adapt to their new settings—their reliance on what she calls “the acculturation plot”—such stories can obscure the political, economic, and historical forces that necessitate migration in the first place. They can also reinforce the myth of the American dream by centering immigrants who assimilate and achieve conventional success—and leaving out the stories of the many who don’t.
Read more here.
Many important works of fiction have used this template to explore questions of migration and identity. But these narratives also have shortcomings, says Cabot professor of American literature Glenda Carpio. In their narrow focus on how individual immigrants adapt to their new settings—their reliance on what she calls “the acculturation plot”—such stories can obscure the political, economic, and historical forces that necessitate migration in the first place. They can also reinforce the myth of the American dream by centering immigrants who assimilate and achieve conventional success—and leaving out the stories of the many who don’t.
Read more here.