Changes of Cultural Roles and Practices in Immigrant Communities.

Immigration to the United States has brought changes in cultural roles and practices for many immigrant communities. Some of these are reflected in the change of labor practices, family structures, and the efforts of reproducing cultural symbols. Jacqueline Hagan discusses in her book Deciding to be Legal the effects of resettlement of Mayan communities, and gives us insight how the Mayan community is changed by these forces. The men of the Totonicapan Maya community are …

…represent their cultural heritage. The changes of labor practices for the Mayan men, and the struggle of the Mayan women to preserve the culture for the family while entering the workforce, show us the difficulties immigrants have to face in a different environment. Location, labor demand, and family typology are the main forces that make changes in cultural norms inevitable. Reference Hagan, Jacqueline. 1994. Deciding to be Legal. Temple University Press. Chps. 2&3 (pp 13-75)