Ethnography on undocumented immigrants in the United States of America

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject Ethnology / Cultural Anthropology, University of North Florida, language: English, abstract: Leo Chavez, author of Shadowed Lives – Undocumented Immigrants in American Society and doctor in anthropology, has been working and writing about Central American immigration since 1980 (Chavez, vii). In Shadowed Lives, Chavez described and analyzed lives of illegal Mexican workers in Southern California, using anthropology “for challenging our assumptions about both ourselves and others in our world” (Chavez xii). The author covered, among other things, crossing borders, immigrant homes, migrant problems, families and networks, as well as working structures and processes living as an illegal alien in a foreign country. He was eager to explain phases of separation, transition and incorporation for immigrants when changing social status and environment in order to start a new life and undergo their territorial passage. The following paper will discuss several topics relating to key concepts learned in class. It will examine emic and etic interpretations, problems of ethnocentrism, and the appliance of cultural relativism. Furthermore, it will highlight research methods and backgrounds with regard to the author and his field of study. Last but not least, the paper will provide several examples of social power and describe factors that impact relationships between individuals or groups.