This article examines the social network maintained by former kibbutzniks living in Los Angeles, in relation to their cultural and ethnic roots, against a background of transnationalism, using a qualitative approach and life-history methodology. The findings indicate that this population constitutes a unique subgroup with a common internal language and clear boundaries separating them from the rest of society. The study shows that kibbutz-reared Israeli immigrants set up a social network characterized by intensive multiplex ties that provides practical and emotional support but at the same time decreases their desire to integrate into the new country.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Adar, G.
, and C. Lewis. 1988. Societies in the kibbutz: A survey of people holding public office. Research and study pamphlets. Ramat Efal, Israel: Yad Tabenkin and the Institute for the Study of the Kibbutz in conjunction with Haifa University (Hebrew).
2.
Almog, O.1993. The army radio subculture: The culture of kibbutz youth as mirrored in its language. In The kibbutz at the turn of the century, vol. 6. Ramat Efal, Israel: Yad Tabenkin (Hebrew).
3.
Anderson, G. M.
, and T. L. Christie. 1982. Networks: The impetus for new research initiatives. Research in Race and Ethnic Relations3:207-225.
4.
Barnes, J. A.1972. Social networks. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
5.
Basch, L.
, N. Glick Schiller, and C. Szanton Blanc. 1994. Nations unbound: Transnational projects, postcolonial predicaments, and deterritorialized nation-states. Basel, Switzerland: Gordon and Breach.
6.
Bertaux, D.1981. From the life history approach to the transformation of sociological practice. In Biography and society, edited by D. Bertaux. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
7.
Bogdan, R. C.1974. Being different: The autobiography of Jane Fry. New York: John Wiley.
8.
Bogdan, R. C.
, and S. K. Biklen. 1982. Qualitative research methods for education. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
9.
Chen, M.
, and D. Maoz. 1986. Exaggerated individual approaches and school achievements in the kibbutz school. Hameshutaf37 (120): 68-76 (Hebrew).
10.
Church, A. T.1982. Sojourner adjustment. Psychological Bulletin91:540-571.
11.
Cohen, S. M.1986. Israeli immigrants and the New York federation: A case study in the ambivalent policy making for “Jewish communal deviants.”Contemporary Jewry7: 155-165.
12.
Cohen, Y.1989. Israelis in the U.S.: socioeconomic standing in comparison to Israeli and American societies. Jerusalem: Institute for Research on Israel (Hebrew).
13.
Coleman, J. S.1988. Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology94 (Suppl.): S95-S120.
14.
Crow, N. A.
, and D. Kauchak. 1987. Teacher socialization: A quasi-experimental case study. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA.
15.
Eisenstadt, S. N.1973. Israeli society: Background, development and problems. 2d ed.Jerusalem, Israel: Magnes (Hebrew).
16.
Gold, S.1994a. Israeli immigrants in the U.S.: The question of community. Qualitative Sociology17 (4): 325-363.
17.
Gold, S.1994b. Patterns of economic cooperation among Israeli immigrants in Los Angeles. International Migration Review28 (105): 114-135.
18.
Gold, S.2000. Israeli Americans. In Multiculturism in the United States: Current issues, contemporary voices, edited by P. Kivisto and G. Rundblad, 409-420. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge.
19.
Gold, S.
, and B. A. Phillips. 1996. Israelis in the United States. In The American Jewish yearbook, vol. 96, edited by D. Singer and R. A. Sheldon, 51-101. New York: American Jewish Committee.
20.
Granovetter, M.1983. The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology78: 1360-1388.
21.
Guarnizo, L. E.
, A. I. Sanchez, and E. M. Roach. 1999. Mistrust, fragmented solidarity and transnational migration: Colombians in New York City and Los Angeles. Ethnic and Racial Studies22 (2): 367-396.
22.
Hadari, D.1995. Between Greek tragedy and the theater of the absurd: An attempt to sum up ten years of crisis. Mifne9:38-41 (Hebrew).
23.
Har-Even, Y. 1989. Emigration as a social problem: Emigration from Israel as reflected in “letters to the editor” of Ha'Aretz, 1949-1987. Unpublished master's thesis, Tel Aviv University, Department of Sociology and Anthropology (Hebrew).
24.
Heider, F.1957. The psychology of interpersonal relations. New York: John Wiley.
25.
Kass, D.
, and S. Lipset. 1982. Jewish immigrations to the United States from 1967 to the present: Israelis and others. In Understanding American Jews, edited by M. Sklare, 272-294. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books.
26.
Kimhi, S. 1990. Perceived change of self-concept, values, well-being and intention to return among kibbutz people who migrated from Israel to America. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, Palo Alto.
27.
Kraus, V.1981. Perception of occupations in Israel. Megamot26:283-294 (Hebrew).
28.
Light, I.
, G. Sabagh, M. Bozorgmehr, and C. Der-Martirosian. 1994. Beyond the ethnic enclave economy. Social Problems41 (1): 65-80.
29.
Mitchell, J. C.1969. The concept and use of social networks. In Social networks in urban situations, edited by J. C. Mitchell, 1-50. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press.
30.
Mittelberg, D.
, and Z. Sobel. 1990. Commitment, ethnicity and class factors in emigration of kibbutz and non-kibbutz population from Israel. International Migration Review24 (4): 768-782.
31.
Mittelberg, D.
, and M. C. Waters. 1992. The process of ethnogenesis among Haitian and Israeli immigrants in the United States. Ethnic and Racial Studies15 (3): 412-435.
32.
Moghaddam, F. M.
, D. M. Taylor, and R. N. Lalonde. 1987. Individualistic and collective integration strategies among Iranians in Canada. International Journal of Psychology22:301-313.
33.
Portes, A.
, L. E. Guarnizo, and P. Landolt. 1999. Transnational communities. Ethnic and Racial Studies [Special issue] 22 (2): 217-477.
34.
Portes, A.
, and R. G. Rumbaut. 1990. Immigrant America: A portrait. Berkeley: University of California Press.
35.
Portes, A.
, and J. Sensenbrenner. 1993. Embeddedness and immigration: Notes on the social determinants of economic action. American Journal of Sociology98 (6): 1320-1350.
36.
Rumbaut, R. G.1997. Paradoxes (and orthodoxies) of assimilation. Sociological Perspectives40 (3): 483-511.
37.
Sabar, N.2000. Kibbutzniks in the Diaspora. Albany: State University of New York Press.
38.
Scott, W. A.
, and R. Scott. 1989. Adaptation of immigrants. Oxford, UK: Pergamon.
39.
Seidman, I. E.1991. Interviewing as qualitative research. New York: Teachers College.
40.
Shamosh, A.1973. Words with special meaning on the kibbutz. Hakibbutz1:171-196 (Hebrew).
41.
Shapira, Y.
, and A. Ben-Eliezer. 1987. The basics of sociology. Tel Aviv, Israel: Am Oved (Hebrew).
42.
Shoham, E. 1982. The kibbutz high school with the matriculations as perceived by the students and the kibbutz community. Unpublished master's thesis. Haifa University, School of Education (Hebrew).
43.
Shokeid, M.1988. Children of circumstances: Israeli emigrants in New York. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
44.
Sobel, Z.1986. Migrants from the promised land. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books.
45.
Spiro, M.1963. Kibbutz: Venture in utopia. New York: Shoken.
46.
Statistical yearbook of Israel. 1994. No. 6. Jerusalem, Israel: Central Bureau of Statistics.
47.
Strauss, A. L.1987. Qualitative analysis for social sciences. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
48.
Talmon-Garber, Y.1972. Family and community in the kibbutz. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
49.
Tilly, C.1990. Transplanted networks. In Immigration reconsidered: History, sociology, and politics, edited by V. Yans-McLaughlin, 79-95. New York: Oxford.
50.
Wallman, S.1986. Ethnicity and the boundary process in context. In Theories of race and ethnic relations, edited by J. Rex and D. Mason, 226-245. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
51.
Weiman, G. 1985. Analysis of networks in the kibbutz community: Divisive and bridging factors. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Haifa University, Department of Sociology (Hebrew).
