In Search of a Better Life

RANSFORD W. PALMER is Graduate Professor of Economics at Howard University. He is the author of Caribbean Dependence on the United States Economy (Praeger, 1979), and Problems of Development in Beautiful Countries: Perspectives on the Caribbean (1984).

This volume examines the phenomenon of mass population migration from the Caribbean to North America and the United Kingdom and the social, cultural, and economic adaptation of the immigrants to their new environments. A central theme of this volume is that twentieth century Caribbean migration is more than the migration of labor in search of jobs; it is also a movement of households and thus affects not only the well-being of family members but also their social relationships. The contributors provide new analytical perspectives on the factors that motivate this movement, and the social, cultural,and economic impact of the movement on the household itself.The volume is divided into three parts. Part I examines the historical movement to the United States and the United Kingdom. The chapters in this section explore the relationship between the character of Caribbean development and the factors motivating the migration of households, the nineteenth century beginnings of twentieth century mass Caribbean migration, and the social and economic experiences of the post-World War II Caribbean immigrants in Britain. Part II looks at the problems of settlement and adaptation in the major urban centers where Caribbean immigrants have tended to concentrate, giving special attention to the status of Caribbean women in the United States and the role of social networks in helping immigrants to adapt to their new surroundings. The final section looks at the problem of illegal migration from the Caribbean to the United States, drawing on data from the annual reports of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Students, researchers, and policy-makers will find In Search of a Better Life an important contribution to the understanding of the total migration process.

Foreword by Gordon K. LewisPrefaceOrigins and DestinationsCaribben Development and the Migration Imperative by Ransford W. PalmerNinteenth-Century West Indian Migration to Britain by Peter D. FraserForty-and-One Years On: An Overview of Afro-Caribbean Migration to the United Kingdom by Mel. E. ThompsonSettlement and AdaptationEducation and Qualifications of Caribbean Immigrants and Their Children in Britain and Canada by Anthony H. Richmond and Aloma MendozaDominican International Migration: The Role of Households and Social Networks by Patricia R. PessarDependents or Independent Workers?: The Status of Caribbean Immigrant Women in the United States by Monica H. GordonThe New Female West Indian Immigrant: Dilemmas of Coping in the Host Society by Aubrey W. BonnettIllegal MigrationAmnesty for Illegal Aliens from the Caribbean: Implications for Future Immigration Flows by Lisa S. RoneyIllegal Migration from the Caribbean by Ransford W. PalmerIndex