The Thatcher language house on campus tackled issues of immigration and emigration and their effects on people globally.
Last week in the Campus Center, the students that participated researched the issue in the six languages Thatcher offers: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish.
The students presented their research on power point presentations which highlighted the history of migrations out of the country and the immigration into each distinct country. The presentations showed similarities on how each country handles xenophobia, racism, citizenship attainment and integration.
Sid Ferreira, the Program Coordinator, welcomed the students to the “Thatcher Migration discussion” and explained to all the attendees that the presentations were academic and researched-based.
According to Ferreira, “[In] the global community we live in now, it’s important for students to have understanding of languages and cultures around the world.” “Thatcher in Northeast [is] a language immersion program, exposing [to students] the different cultures, traditions, music and food,” said Ferreira.
The Thatcher program that originally started with Japanese ten years ago has grown to offer students six languages. Residents studying common languages are situated together in order to harbor more conversation among them. “They have classes, live together and have a class that meets in the residence hall,” Ferreira said. The Chinese program, taught by Ping Geng, was called up by Ferreira to present their research on Chinese immigration. According to the presenters on the subject, the Chinese migration to the United States was at its peak during the gold rush and the construction of the railroads. They also reported that the main reasons Chinese people have migrated are due to the economic, educational and labor motives. They also noted that Chinese immigrants make up only 4 percent of the U.S. population. Students from the French program, taught at Thatcher by Carolyn Shread, presented their research titled “Migration in France: an Analysis of its geography and history.” The students pointed out that the majority of immigrants that come to France are from former French Colonies like Algeria. They also mentioned the influence French president Nicholas Sarkozy has had over the immigration policies. The students noted how Sarkozy prefers skilled workers and students to enter the country. The presentation voiced concerns over the republican model in France. The republican model calls for a homogeneous France, where an individual’s ethnic identity and religion is removed from the public sphere. The German program, which is taught by Alli Merely, was next in line as they presented “Foreigner in Germany: German Immigration Policy.” The students were quick to mention the lack of diversity in Germany, compared to other European countries. The presenters named Turks as being the largest ethnic minority in Germany. According to the students, Turkish immigrants are very marginalized in Germany, and the existence of xenophobia is rampant. They also noted acts of violence against the Turks. However, the students noted that there were positive waves of integration within the country as Turkish fast food and music have become popular. The Italian program, taught by Simone Gugliotta, focused on the emigration of Italians after World War II. The students noted that the U.S. was the largest recipient of Italian immigrants from 1876 to 1976. The students also noted that many Italians have also migrated to Argentina. They commented on the slang language, Lunfardo, which began in Argentina due to the influence of the Italian immigrants. Next, the Japanese program, taught by Yuko Takahashi, began its presentation by noting how difficult it is to obtain citizenship in Japan. The presenters gave detailed descriptions on the type of visa an individual can obtain, including temporary visitor, transit and working visas. The students noted that it takes over five years to obtain citizenship and an individual must relinquish all other nationalities. The presentation shifted its focus to the treatment of foreigners that enter Japan. The students commented that they were not stereotyping Japanese people as a whole but discrimination does occur, specifically when immigrant women are taken by gangs and forced into prostitution. The Spanish program, instructed by Elena Garcia-Frasier, was the last group of students to present. “Immigration to Spain” discussed information on the majority of immigrants that live in Spain, originally from Latin America and the Maghreb (Northern Africa). This group of students decided to bring it closer to home as they presented the current immigration issues between the U.S and Mexico. The presenters said that after 9/11, Mexicans became more dangerous than Canadians, due to the rise in “The Minutemen,” an extreme activist group that positioned itself along the border and tried to secure the border from Mexican immigrants. “After making each of their presentations, the students split into aggregate groups and talked about different issues in the various countries,” said Ivan Babian, a biology major in the German Thatcher program. “And also [made] comparisons between similar issues common to each nation to contrast issues such as human trafficking, anti-foreign sentiment, emigration, assimilation and integration of immigrants in each nation.” “The end result left all of the students from the different language [programs] with a greater understanding of how immigration issues relate to lives within and in between many countries across the globe,” said Babian. “It was very informative, more informative than I thought it would be,” said Barry Walker, a freshman English major. “It was refreshing that the program was beginning to encourage this kind of cultural exchange.” Gisel Saillant can be reached at [email protected].
