The Dynamics of Brokering in Second Generation Transnationalism

Abstract

This study uses the concept of brokerage to explain how the transnational ties of the children of migrants born in the host country, i.e., the second generation, are initiated and sustained. By examining second generation Mexican- and Filipino-Americans, two groups that differ in linguistic proficiency, geographical proximity to the home country, and interpersonal contact with nonmigrants, this study highlights the common role of a broker for both groups. These findings also reveal the ways in which second generation ties can differ. The second generation utilized middleman brokerage, in which a broker is present throughout each connection; and catalyst brokerage, in which a broker facilitates only the initial ties. Overall, these forms of brokerage were shaped by the type of cross-border connection, linguistic proficiency, interpersonal contact, and emotional attachments between nonmigrants and the second generation. While Filipino-Americans in the sample generally required a middleman broker to be present throughout each connection, Mexican-Americans had a greater capacity to eventually engage in dyadic connections. Given the triadic nature of connections, cross-border ties were shaped and limited by the capacities and emotional attachments of those in the ancestral homeland, immigrant brokers, and the second generation.