First generation Azerbaijani immigrants in the United States: socio-cultural characteristics and identity issues

The community of Azerbaijani immigrants in the United States, which is the subject of our proposed study, is a pretty recent phenomenon. Most Azerbaijani-Americans have immigrated to the United States mainly from Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia or Turkey. Azerbaijani immigration and integration in the United States have not been documented and studied thoroughly. There is no population survey that provides information of any kind on the attitudes and opinions of Azerbaijani Americans. Based on the survey conducted among sample of 103 Azerbaijani immigrants, this paper aims to provide the profile of the Azerbaijani community, socio-cultural characteristics, assess the immigrant’s identification with their native culture, ethnic attachment, as well as, their emotional ties to the homeland and level of integration in the United States.

IDENTITY OVERLAP AND SITUATIONAL DIFFERENTIAL AMONG NIGERIAN STUDENTS

This study examines the notion that Nigerian students will identify with their ethnic group and their nation at the same time because they are members of different ethnic groups and citizens of the same country. It also examines whether their perception of their identity will change from situation to situation. Data were collected from 306 Nigerian students in the Washington DC metropolitan area through a proportional stratified sampling procedure. The results confirm the hypothesis that the Nigerian students will identify with their ethnic groups and nation at the same time. It is also confirmed that how the Nigerian students will perceive themselves in different situations depends on the situation in which they find themselves. This negates the primordial approach which claims that an individual will identify him/herself in terms of his/her ethnic group because of a strong bond of ethnic attachment. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed.