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Immigrant Perspectives on Linguistic and Cultural Preservation

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Galician Migrations: A Case Study of Emerging Super-diversity

Part of the book series: Migration, Minorities and Modernity ((MMMO,volume 3))

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Abstract

This chapter focuses on the importance of linguistic and cultural maintenance to the integration process of the immigrant community. Based on a qualitative analysis of seventeen interviews conducted with immigrant parents that live in Vigo, I establish sociolinguistic profiles based on their practices and attitudes regarding integration and preservation. The interviewees describe a common tendency toward maintenance within their respective immigrant communities in general. However, such practices are not particularly valued or supported by the recipient society, as evidenced by popular discourses and public policy. This reflects a broader trend across national contexts, suggesting that the case of Vigo is not unique in representing a certain disconnectedness between the perspectives of new immigrants and the established community with respect to the value of immigrant heritage. The suggestions for establishing practices that might facilitate and reinforce integration in terms of language and cultural maintenance, while specific to Vigo, have broader implications for migrant communities worldwide.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    These included the Catholic charity Cáritas in the Tui-Vigo diocese and Fundación Cume para el Desarrollo de Culturas y Pueblos (The Cume Foundation for the Development of Cultures and Peoples).

  2. 2.

    Traditional drink prepared with yerba mate, water and ice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain

    Laura Rodríguez Salgado

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  1. Laura Rodríguez Salgado
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Correspondence to Laura Rodríguez Salgado .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, University of A Coruna , A Coruna (Galicia), La Coruña, Spain

    Renée DePalma

  2. Faculty of Sociology, ESOMI (Research Group on the Sociology of International Migrations) , University of A Coruna, A Coruna, (Galicia), La Coruña, Spain

    Antía Pérez-Caramés

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Rodríguez Salgado, L. (2018). Immigrant Perspectives on Linguistic and Cultural Preservation. In: DePalma, R., Pérez-Caramés, A. (eds) Galician Migrations: A Case Study of Emerging Super-diversity. Migration, Minorities and Modernity, vol 3. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66305-0_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66305-0_18

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-66304-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-66305-0

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