Exploring Sri-Lankan women's migration experiences in L.A. county : three stories, three lives

• Main Author: Gunewardena, Sriyanthi Lorna Antoinette
• Other Authors: Shaw, Susan M.
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: Sri Lankans > California > Los Angeles County; Women immigrants > California > Los Angeles County; Sri Lanka > Emigration and immigration > Social aspects; Los Angeles County (Calif.) > Emigration and immigration > Social aspects; Adjustment (Psychology)
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1957/30042

The recognition that women are not in a fixed position but are dynamic and active in any of the processes of migration and post-migration adjustment helps us to see the complexity of women's participation in migration. Using life history interviews, three Sri-Lankan womens' migration experiences are examined for the ways in which personal networks were utilized in various phases of the migration process and how social and human capital was transformed in the post-migration adjustment process. Though in some instances the data did not fully support Boyd's (1989) predictions of the ways in which personal networks affect migration, overall, both Boyd's and Kopijn's (1998) statements that social capital is transmitted and transformed in the migration process are supported. The analysis indicates that all three women were successful in their post migration adjustment in that they were able to retain a strong sense of identity while adopting new practices in the United States. === Graduation date: 2004