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Cultural Heterogeneity and the Diverse Success Frames of Second-Generation Mexicans

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  • Estela B. Diaz

    (Department of Sociology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA)

  • Jennifer Lee

    (Department of Sociology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA)

Abstract

Mexican Americans are the largest immigrant and second-generation group in the country. Their sheer size coupled with their low educational attainment have generated concerns that, unlike Asian groups like Chinese Americans, Mexican Americans do not value education—a claim wielded by opponents of affirmative action. Drawing on analyses of the Immigration and Intergenerational Mobility in Metropolitan Los Angeles study, we challenge two underlying presumptions of this claim: the children of Mexican immigrants are less successful than the children of Chinese immigrants; and they are less committed to success. Centering our analyses on the hypo-selectivity of U.S. Mexican immigration, we maintain that how we measure success determines which group is more successful. Moreover, we show that second-generation Mexicans adopt diverse success frames that stem from cultural heterogeneity. Consequently, they pursue variegated strategies of action that include class-specific ethnic resources in their quest for success. Despite their remarkable intergenerational gains, the racialization of low achievement and the mark of a criminal record can be a death knell for mobility for the children of Mexican immigrants. Our research provides fruitful context to inform the current debate about affirmative action.

Suggested Citation

  • Estela B. Diaz & Jennifer Lee, 2020. "Cultural Heterogeneity and the Diverse Success Frames of Second-Generation Mexicans," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-21, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:9:y:2020:i:12:p:216-:d:451289
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Zachary Bleemer, 2022. "Affirmative Action, Mismatch, and Economic Mobility after California’s Proposition 209," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 137(1), pages 115-160.
    2. Devah Pager, 2003. "The mark of a criminal record," Natural Field Experiments 00319, The Field Experiments Website.
    3. Cynthia Feliciano & Yader R. Lanuza, 2016. "The Immigrant Advantage in Adolescent Educational Expectations," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(3), pages 758-792, September.
    4. Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes & Kusum Mundra, 2007. "Social networks and their impact on the earnings of Mexican Migrants," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 44(4), pages 849-863, November.
    5. Gaurav Khanna, 2020. "Does Affirmative Action Incentivize Schooling? Evidence from India," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 102(2), pages 219-233, May.
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