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Immigrant Entrepreneurs: in Search of Identity

Author

Listed:
  • Beata Glinka

    (University of Warsaw)

  • Agnieszka Brzozowska

    (University of Warsaw)

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to show identity construction processes of immigrant entrepreneurs and the way these identities are constructed and reconstructed in business and migration experiences. Research Design & Methods: The findings are based on two qualitative research projects on immigrant entrepreneurs: Vietnamese entrepreneurs in Poland and Polish entrepreneurs in the USA. Both studies were based on ethnographic inspiration. Open interviews and observations were used to collect primary data. Findings: The study indicates that identity construction is a process of an interplay of three main elements: being an immigrant, being an entrepreneur, and sense of nationality. This interplay takes place in different, overlapping dimensions: private, social, national and professional, and it takes place in a certain cultural context. Identities of immigrants are constantly constructed and reconstructed in their search for belonging and freedom at the same time. Implications & Recommendations: The results imply that the issue of immigrant entrepreneurship requires open, culturally-oriented and comparative studies. Recommendations for further studies are formulated in the last section of the paper. Contribution & Value Added: The paper provides insight into the processes of migration between different cultural and institutional contexts and their impact on entrepreneurs' identities.

Suggested Citation

  • Beata Glinka & Agnieszka Brzozowska, 2015. "Immigrant Entrepreneurs: in Search of Identity," Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, Centre for Strategic and International Entrepreneurship at the Cracow University of Economics., vol. 3(3), pages 51-76.
    • Handle: RePEc:krk:eberjl:v:3:y:2015:i:3:p:51-76
    as

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    File URL: https://eber.uek.krakow.pl/index.php/eber/article/download/104/pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Oliver Falck & Stephan Heblich & Elke Luedemann, 2012. "Identity and entrepreneurship: do school peers shape entrepreneurial intentions?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 39-59, July.
    2. Teresa Casey & Christian Dustmann, 2010. "Immigrants' Identity, Economic Outcomes and the Transmission of Identity across Generations," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 120(542), pages 31-51, February.
    3. Robert C. Kloosterman, 2010. "Matching opportunities with resources: A framework for analysing (migrant) entrepreneurship from a mixed embeddedness perspective," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(1), pages 25-45, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Agnieszka Brzozowska, 2018. "Charakterystyka wietnamskiego przedsiebiorcy w Polsce – analiza metafor (Characteristics of Vietnamese entrepreneur in Poland – metaphor analysis)," Research Reports, University of Warsaw, Faculty of Management, vol. 2(29), pages 120-130.
    2. Jan Brzozowski & Anke Lasek, 2019. "The impact of self-employment on the economic integration of immigrants: Evidence from Germany," Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation, Fundacja Upowszechniająca Wiedzę i Naukę "Cognitione", vol. 15(2), pages 11-28.
    3. Agnieszka Brzozowska, 2018. "Vietnamese and Chinese Culture and Motives for Being an Entrepreneur Among Immigrants From Vietnam and China Settled in Poland (Wietnamska i chinska kultura oraz motywy przedsiebiorcze wsrod imigranto," Research Reports, University of Warsaw, Faculty of Management, vol. 2(29), pages 33-40.
    4. Leszek Kwiecinski & Patrycja Matusz-Protasiewicz, 2017. "The Ethnic Entrepreneurship as a Multidimensional Process in the Context of System Approach," Problemy Zarzadzania, University of Warsaw, Faculty of Management, vol. 15(65), pages 97-109.
    5. Dieu Hack-Polay & Justice Tenna Ogbaburu & Mahfuzur Rahman & Ali B Mahmoud, 2020. "Immigrant entrepreneurs in rural England – An examination of the socio- cultural barriers facing migrant small businesses in Lincolnshire," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 35(7), pages 676-694, November.
    6. Quynh Duong Phuong & Aki Harima, 2019. "The impact of cultural values on Vietnamese ethnic entrepreneurs in Germany," Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation, Fundacja Upowszechniająca Wiedzę i Naukę "Cognitione", vol. 15(2), pages 85-116.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    identity; entrepreneurs; immigrant entrepreneurship; immigrant identity; Vietnamese entrepreneurs; Polish entrepreneurs;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups
    • Z1 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics

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