Intergenerational experiences of migration and settlement: African Caribbean women UK and US perspectives

Sylvester, Val (2021). Intergenerational experiences of migration and settlement: African Caribbean women UK and US perspectives. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This thesis aims to understand how the social realities of post-World War II migration related to the significant number of African Caribbean women migrating independently to the UK and US directly correlate to the labour recruitment drive initiated within both countries. Notably, the voices of African Caribbean women have been primarily silent throughout the history of Caribbean migration. There is limited knowledge documented about their contribution to the social economies in the US and the UK. Most of the literature on Caribbean migration has been predominantly from the Caribbean male perspective, hence the motivation to embark on this research study. Using Narrative and Visual Based Inquiry research methods, twenty-two African Caribbean women were interviewed, eleven from the UK and eleven from the US. The analysis was conducted within the Black Feminist Framework that included an intersectionality perspective. The study found that most women migrated independently into gender-specific occupations, such as domestic labour, semi-skilled factories, and the Nursing sector. All of the women were
diverse in their personal histories, which mirrored the multifaceted accounts of their lived experiences as migrants. Some of the women were mothers or became mothers with caring responsibilities, and others held professional qualifications, which they hoped to use to build a career in their new country. Each of the women shared first-hand accounts of structural discrimination, which impacted them from a gender perspective. However, many settled due to family ties; most of them expressed feelings of loss and separation in their 'outsider' location. Upholding their Caribbean cultural identity through traditions, values, and food, associated with their original homeland, reinforced their sense of belonging and connectedness which they felt was absent in the UK and US.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):