Organizing transnationalism and belonging among Pakistani immigrants in London and New York

Abstract

This article compares the transnational orientation of two immigrant organizational infrastructures in two different contexts of settlement: one that is shaped by historical and contemporary post-colonial bilateral ties and one that is shaped by non-colonial highskilled migration and traditions of assimilation. Using the case of post-colonial Pakistani immigrants in London and non-colonial Pakistani immigrants in New York City (NYC), I explore how the presence of post-colonial bilateral ties between origin and receiving societies coupled with aggregate-level socioeconomic integration, shape the transnational orientation of Pakistani immigrant organizations in both cities. Data come from an original database of the universe of Pakistani non-profit organizations in London and NYC and 59 in-depth interviews. Findings reveal that the Pakistani organizational landscape in London is far more transnational than the organizational infrastructure in NYC. The transnational orientation of Pakistani immigrant organizations in London is interpreted to be associated with a high proportion of recent immigrants, historical political integration of Pakistanis into mainstream UK politics and a vibrant post-colonial development-aid infrastructure. Conversely, the NYC organizational infrastructure is primarily comprised of domestically-oriented religious organizations, which reflect traditions of assimilation in the US by fostering a sense of belonging within the NYC Pakistani immigrant community.