Monotonic market change: How contracting/expanding Protestant markets impact the founding of American Protestant international ministries.

Ecological density dependence theory argues that organizational founding rates have an inverted U-shaped relationship with density (the number of organizations already present). This study develops this theory by showing how the "density dependent" curve is moderated by continually expanding/contracting opportunities among religious movement organizations. Using event-history analyses, I investigate how the rate at which transnational American Protestant mission agencies found new ministries internationally is influenced simultaneously by density and continuous expansion/contraction of a country's Protestant market share (i.e., "monotonic market change"). Results show that as Protestant market share increases from continuous years of contraction to expansion, the peak founding rate of the density curve changes non-monotonically while the density at this peak rate increases monotonically. The study concludes by considering how a theory of monotonic market change may contribute to the study of religious as well as secular movement organizations and nonprofits more broadly.

Transnational prenatal care among migrant women from low-and-middle-income countries who gave birth in Montreal, Canada.

OBJECTIVES: There is little research examining transnational prenatal care (TPC) (i.e., prenatal care in more than one country) among migrant women. Using data from the Migrant-Friendly Maternity Care (MFMC) - Montreal project, we aimed to: (1) Estimate the prevalence of TPC, including TPC-arrived during pregnancy and TPC-arrived pre-pregnancy, among recently-arrived migrant women from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) who gave birth in Montreal, Canada; (2) Describe and compare the socio-demographic, migration and health profiles and perceptions of care during pregnancy in Canada between these two groups and migrant women who received no TPC (i.e., only received prenatal care in Canada); and (3) Identify predictors of TPC-arrived pre-pregnancy vs. No-TPC. METHODS: The MFMC study used a cross-sectional design. Data were gathered from recently-arrived (< 8 years) migrant women from LMICs via medical record review and interview-administration of the MFMC questionnaire postpartum during the period of March 2014-January 2015 in three hospitals, and February-June 2015 in one hospital. We conducted a secondary analysis (n = 2595 women); descriptive analyses (objectives 1 & 2) and multivariable logistic regression (objective 3). RESULTS: Ten percent of women received TPC; 6% arrived during pregnancy and 4% were in Canada pre-pregnancy. The women who received TPC and arrived during pregnancy were disadvantaged compared to women in the other two groups (TPC-arrived pre-pregnancy and No-TPC women), in terms of income level, migration status, French and English language abilities, access barriers to care and healthcare coverage. However, they also had a higher proportion of economic migrants and they were generally healthier compared to No-TPC women. Predictors of TPC-arrived pre-pregnancy included: 'Not living with the father of the baby' (AOR = 4.8, 95%CI 2.4, 9.8), 'having negative perceptions of pregnancy care in Canada (general experiences)' (AOR = 1.2, 95%CI 1.1, 1.3) and younger maternal age (AOR = 1.1, 95%CI 1.0, 1.1). CONCLUSION: Women with more capacity may self-select to migrate during pregnancy which results in TPC; these women, however, are disadvantaged upon arrival, and may need additional care. Already-migrated women may use TPC due to a need for family and social support and/or because they prefer the healthcare in their home country.

Southeast and East Asian immigrant women's transnational postpartum experiences: A meta-ethnography.

The increase in births to Southeast and East Asian (SEEA) immigrants in their adopted countries is of international importance. SEEA women experience the postpartum period differently than that of the general population. Despite the documented difference, there is limited representation of SEEA women in the literature. The purpose of this meta-ethnography is to synthesise the qualitative findings from different research studies examining the experiences of SEEA immigrant women during the first 4-6 weeks of the postpartum period and has been written in adherence with enhancing transparency in reporting the synthesis of qualitative research (PRISMA). Noblit and Hare's meta-ethnographic approach was used. Seven articles (four qualitative and three mixed-methods studies) were reviewed, analysed and synthesised. Four themes emerged: two were facilitators of birth culture (availability and quality of social support and maternity care provider cultural knowledge and response) and two were barriers to birth culture (lack of structural and social support and cultural alienation after childbirth). Due to lack of structural and social support in SEEA immigrant women's adopted countries, they also experienced social and economic hardships after childbirth and made conscious decisions to modify their postpartum cultural practices out of convenience and practicality. SEEA immigrant women also experienced discrimination from maternity care providers, which prevented them from fully engaging in postpartum cultural practices. Maternity care providers can advocate and intervene for SEEA immigrant women by eliciting any postpartum cultural beliefs, assess their social and economic needs early on in prenatal care and make culturally congruent referrals based on those assessments.

Filipino Aging within Global North Diasporas: A Scoping Review.

Drawing on international research, this article examines and navigates through the existing social gerontological and ethnogerontological literature to assess how Filipino aging is understood within Global North societies. A scoping review was conducted in 2018 and in 2022 to offer key insights into how Filipinos age in both the ancestral homeland and increasingly within Global North diasporas. While the existing literature on Filipino aging does mirror existing ethnogerontological literature, which heavily focuses on indicators of cognitive, physical and mental health, and access and provision to formal services, the Filipino-specific literature calls attention to emerging dynamics distinctly related to transnational aging, and renegotiated caring dynamics within intergenerational Filipino families and kinship networks. This paper considers a future research agenda of the growing realities for aging Filipino communities across Global North contexts.

Political identities of Chinese international students: Patterns and change in transnational space.

Amid the ongoing international tensions surrounding China, Chinese international students (CISs) in Western countries have become targets of political suspicion. Against discriminatory voices that make sweeping generalisations about CISs, this research argues that their political identities are in fact diverse and malleable. Using theories of postmodernism and transnationalism, this study applies thematic analysis and discourse analysis to interviews with 28 CISs, yielding four major findings. First, it identifies three distinct patterns of political identity: Chinese nationalists who endorse conservative politics in the West; advocates of liberal democracy; and transnational neoliberals who avoid political participation. Second, it argues that CISs undergo identity changes depending on a range of individual and social characteristics. Among these characteristics, third, it highlights the role of socioeconomic status in shaping the political identities of CISs, and in so doing, reflects on the inadequacy of race and nationality as identity markers. Fourth, it suggests that the political identities of CISs are transnationally hinged on both China and the host countries. On the practical front, the study may inform professions working with CISs such as education and policymaking. Theoretically, it suggests that the political identities of CISs are heterogenous, impressionable and transnationally contingent.

A scoping review on the measurement of transnationalism in migrant health research in high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: Migrants commonly maintain transnational ties as they relocate and settle in a new country. There is a growing body of research examining transnationalism and health. We sought to identify how transnationalism has been defined and operationalized in migrant health research in high income countries and to document which populations and health and well-being outcomes have been studied in relation to this concept. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review using the methodology recommended by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). We searched nine electronic databases; no time restrictions were applied. Studies published in English or French in peer-reviewed journals were considered. Studies were eligible if they included a measure of transnationalism (or one of its dimensions; social, cultural, economic, political and identity ties and/or healthcare use) and examined health or well-being. RESULTS: Forty-seven studies, mainly cross-sectional designs (81%), were included; almost half were conducted in the United States. The majority studied immigrants, broadly defined; 23% included refugees and/or asylum-seekers while 36% included undocumented migrants. Definitions of transnationalism varied according to the focus of the study and just over half provided explicit definitions. Most often, transnationalism was defined in terms of social connections to the home country. Studies and measures mainly focused on contacts and visits with family and remittance sending, and only about one third of studies examined and measured more than two dimensions of transnationalism. The operationalization of transnationalism was not consistent and reliability and validity data, and details on language translation, were limited. Almost half of the studies examined mental health outcomes, such as emotional well-being, or symptoms of depression. Other commonly studied outcomes included self-rated health, life satisfaction and perceived discrimination. CONCLUSION: To enhance comparability in this field, researchers should provide a clear, explicit definition of transnationalism based on the scope of their study, and for its measurement, they should draw from validated items/questions and be consistent in its operationalization across studies. To enhance the quality of findings, more complex approaches for operationalizing transnationalism (e.g., latent variable modelling) and longitudinal designs should be used. Further research examining a range of transnationalism dimensions and health and well-being outcomes, and with a diversity of migrant populations, is also warranted.

Transnational contexts and local embeddedness of HIV/STI vulnerabilities among Thai and Filipino agricultural temporary foreign workers in Canada.

Each year Canada approves about 70,000 agricultural temporary foreign worker positions. However, few studies have examined temporary foreign workers' sexual health. In this mixed-methods study, we used surveys and focus groups to explore the knowledge of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI), sexual behaviours and the perspectives of sexual health of 100 Thai and Filipino temporary foreign workers in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The findings revealed that transnational migration had opened up social space that workers were not familiar with. Social isolation, stress and prolonged separation from spouses and partners resulted in the formation of new intimate relationships. Close to two-thirds of the 100 participants were sexually active in the twelve months prior to the study and over three-quarters did not use condoms. Many participants had misconceptions about HIV risks and safer sex practices. Few temporary workers accessed sexual health services due to language barriers, time constraints, stigma and lack of transport. As a result, many obtained medical advice and medicine through their families back home and relied on self-treatment in dealing with symptoms of genital infections. Effective sexual health promotion for temporary foreign workers must consider the complex interactive sociocultural and political processes that involve institutional practices in the local and transnational contexts.

Growing Old in a Transnational Setting: Investigating Perceptions of Ageing and Changing Filial Ties Among Older Indians in Saskatoon.

Numerous studies have examined the experience of growing old in a transnational context among Indians. However, in most of these studies, the older adults had immigrated as senior citizens to be with their adult children. Indians who have grown old in transnational settings have not been examined in detail in the gerontological scholarship. Adopting a cross-cultural lens, the present study focusses on perceptions of ageing among older Indians who have grown old in the city of Saskatoon. The study demonstrates how these older Indians refute the Successful Ageing model and accept their physical weaknesses in their course of ageing. Additionally, the study also examines how caregiving arrangements and intergenerational relationships are shaped among these older Indians and their adult children, in a transnational city, such as Saskatoon. Finally, the study highlights how later life gender roles are constructed in a transnational backdrop.

Transnationalism and care of migrant families during pregnancy, postpartum and early-childhood: an integrative review.

BACKGROUND: Migrant families' transnational ties (i.e., connections to their countries of origin) may contribute to their hardships and/or may be a source of resiliency. A care approach that addresses these transnational ties may foster a positive identity and give coherence to experiences. We conducted an integrative review to determine what is known about transnational ties and the care of migrant families during pregnancy, postpartum and early childhood. METHODS: We searched 15 databases to identify literature reporting on a health or social program, service, or care experience of migrant families during pregnancy up to age five in a Western country (i.e., Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand or a European country). Information regarding if and how the service/program/care considered transnational ties, and care-providers' perceptions of transnational ties, was extracted, analyzed and synthesized according to transnational 'ways of belonging' and 'ways of being'. RESULTS: Over 34,000 records were screened; 69 articles were included. Care, programs and services examined included prenatal interventions (a mhealth app, courses, videos, and specialized antenatal care), doula support, maternity care, support groups, primary healthcare and psycho-social early intervention and early childhood programs. The results show that transnational ties in terms of 'ways of belonging' (cultural, religious and linguistic identity) are acknowledged and addressed in care, although important gaps remain. Regarding 'ways of being', including emotional, social, and economic ties with children and other family members, receipt of advice and support from family, and use of health services abroad, there is very little evidence that these are acknowledged and addressed by care-providers. Perceptions of 'ways of belonging' appear to be mixed, with some care-providers being open to and willing to adapt care to accommodate religious, cultural and linguistic differences, while others are not. How care-providers perceive the social, emotional and economic ties and/or the use of services back home, remains relatively unknown. CONCLUSION: Significant knowledge gaps remain regarding care-providers' perceptions of transnational 'ways of being' and whether and how they take them into account, which may affect their relationships with migrant families and/or the effectiveness of their interventions. Continued efforts are needed to ensure care is culturally safe for migrants.

South African International Migration and its Impact on Older Family Members.

In this article, we explore the impact of South African families' emigration on parents/grandparents who must renegotiate their lives in their loved ones' physical absence. We adopted a transnational perspective in a bigger qualitative project to consider both sides of the migratory spectrum. Here we focus on elderly family members who remain behind-a group largely neglected in prior research. Our findings illustrate the complex emotions and relational changes experienced by elderly people whose families emigrate. New technologies bridge distances, allowing new ways to connect and take care of each other, and of re-imagining transnational relationships and what constitutes family life, but these bridges cannot negate the loss experienced by those remaining. People have to make sense of the emigration and forge new relational bonds with remaining family members. Our findings stress grandparents' meaningful role in a family system and highlight some gendered and racial differences in families' experiences.

En este artículo analizamos el efecto de la emigración de familias sudafricanas en los padres/abuelos que deben renegociar sus vidas ante la ausencia física de sus seres queridos. Nosotros adoptamos una perspectiva transnacional en un proyecto cualitativo más grande para tener en cuenta ambos lados del espectro migratorio. Aquí nos centramos en los integrantes ancianos de la familia que se quedan, un grupo en gran parte abandonado en investigaciones previas. Nuestros hallazgos ilustran las emociones complejas y los cambios relacionales sufridos por los ancianos cuyas familias emigran. Las nuevas tecnologías tienden puentes y acortan distancias, ya que permiten nuevas maneras de conectarse, de cuidarse mutuamente y de reinventar las relaciones transnacionales y lo que constituye la vida familiar, pero estos puentes no pueden anular la pérdida sufrida por los que se quedan. Las personas tienen que dar sentido a la emigración y forjar nuevos lazos relacionales con los familiares que se quedan. Nuestros resultados acentúan el papel significativo de los abuelos en un sistema familiar y destacan algunas diferencias por género y raza en las experiencias de las familias.

Agency of internal transnationalism in social memory.

The article examines the limitations of methodological nationalism in the studies of social memory through a case study of memory of Stalinist repression in Belarus. It analyses how various social agencies - national and local activists, religious organisations, and international foundations - use the memory of repression for constructing post-Soviet Belarusian identity by embedding their national representations in larger transnational frameworks. Drawing on the concept of 'internal globalisation', this article develops the idea of 'internal transnationalism' that suggests the importance of wider transnational configurations for the definition of nation. Internalized transnationalism does not make a national memory concept less nation-centred, but it affects the choice of its cultural, political and civilizational framing. In contrast to methodological cosmopolitanism that implies rediscovering of the national as an internalized global, methodological transnationalism emphasizes the multiplicity of co-existing transnational networks that can be invoked by social actors in their national mnemonic agenda. Using the case of the Kurapaty memorial site the article analyses how multiple framings of memory representations - the Belarusian national memory, liberal anti-communist memory, contesting memories, such as Polish, Baltic and Jewish - compete and juxtapose in the space of social memory of political repression.

One world is not enough: the structured phenomenology of lifestyle migrants in East Asia.

The paper is based on original empirical research into the lifestyle migration of European migrants, primarily British, to Thailand and Malaysia, and of Hong Kong Chinese migrants to Mainland China. We combine strong structuration theory (SST) with Heideggerian phenomenology to develop a distinctive approach to the interplay between social structures and the lived experience of migrants. The approach enables a rich engagement with the subjectivities of migrants, an engagement that is powerfully enhanced by close attention to how these inner lives are deeply interwoven with relevant structural contexts. The approach is presented as one that could be fruitfully adopted to explore parallel issues within all types of migration. As is intrinsic to lifestyle migration, commitment to a better quality of life is central to the East Asian migrants, but they seek an uncomplicated, physically enhanced texture of life, framed more by a phenomenology of prosaic well-being than of self-realization or transcendence. In spite of possessing economic and status privileges due to their relatively elite position within global structures the reality for a good number of the lifestyle migrants falls short of their prior expectations. They are subject to particular kinds of socio-structural marginaliszation as a consequence of the character of their migration, and they find themselves relatively isolated and facing a distinct range of challenges. A comparison with research into various groups of migrants to the USA brings into relief the specificities of the socio-structural positioning of the lifestyle migrants of the study. Those East Asian migrants who express the greatest sense of ease and contentment seem to be those who have responded creatively to the specific challenges of their socio-structural situation. Often, this appears to have been achieved through understated but active involvements with their new settings and through sustaining focused transnational connections and relationships.

Communication flows and the durability of a transnational social field.

We draw on unique data on communication flows between migrants and non-migrants in a bi-national, cross-border social network to test competing theories of the process of social incorporation. While advocates of the assimilation perspective argue that social incorporation is largely a one-way street, a recent literature on immigrant transnationalism challenges this view by arguing that changes in communication technologies and reductions in travel costs have made it possible for migrants to retain meaningful connections to their origin communities. In the context of this debate, we argue that communication flows-as measured by a combination of the number of social ties and the frequency of communication with them-provide an empirical test of the potential durability of cross-border networks. In our analysis, we find mixed support for both transnationalism and assimilation: while the classic assimilation perspective is correct that the strength of migrants' ties to origin attenuates as time in the destination increases, we also find evidence of a striking persistence in cross-border communication that is reinvigorated by migrant return visits, consistent with an attenuated view of transnationalism.

The intersection of class origin and immigration background in structuring social capital: the role of transnational ties.

The study investigates inequalities in access to social capital based on social class origin and immigration background and examines the role of transnational ties in explaining these differences. Social capital is measured with a position generator methodology that separates between national and transnational contacts in a sample of young adults in Sweden with three parental backgrounds: at least one parent born in Iran or Yugoslavia, or two Sweden-born parents. The results show that having socioeconomically advantaged parents is associated with higher levels of social capital. Children of immigrants are found to have a greater access to social capital compared to individuals with native background, and the study shows that this is related to transnational contacts, parents' education and social class in their country of origin. Children of immigrants tend to have more contacts abroad, while there is little difference in the amount of contacts living in Sweden across the three groups. It is concluded that knowledge about immigration group resources help us predict its member's social capital, but that the analysis also needs to consider how social class trajectories and migration jointly structure national and transnational contacts.

Decentering America: the Quest for a Transnational American Studies.

The planned removal of a Civil War monument in Charlottesville, Virginia, was the pretext for a white supremacist rally there in August 2017. It brought American fascists back into the streets, marching under the banner of a virulent nativism, of a vicious fear of being removed from the pedestal of their proper place in society. It also brought to the minds of people watching these images on TV older visual repertoires dating back to Nazi-Germany, fascist Italy, and similar racist clashes elsewhere. In such a stream of consciousness, such a chain of visual recollections, national settings-American or otherwise-are transcended. The wandering-and wondering-mind of the observer moves in a space naturally trans-national. The following essay considers the implications of such mental processes for the established forms of discourse among historians.

Refugees, asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants and the experience of parenthood: a synthesis of the qualitative literature.

OBJECTIVE: To synthesize the recent qualitative literature and identify the integrative themes describing the parenthood experiences of refugees, asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants. METHODS: We searched seven online databases for the period January 2006 to February 2017. We included English and French published peer-reviewed articles and graduate-level dissertations, which qualitatively examined the parenthood experiences of refugees, asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants. We summarized study characteristics and performed a thematic analysis across the studies. RESULTS: One hundred thirty eight studies met inclusion criteria. All but three were conducted in high-income countries, mainly in the US. Migrants studied were mostly undocumented from Latin America and refugees from Sub-Saharan Africa. Almost all studies (93%) included mothers; about half (47%) included fathers; very few (5%) included extended family members. We identified three integrative themes: 1) experiencing hardship and/or loss in the context of precarious migration and past traumas; 2) building resilience and strength by bridging language, norms and expectations; and 3) living transnationally: obligations, challenges and resources. Each theme contributed to shaping the parenthood experience; the transnationalism theme intersected with the themes on hardship and loss and resilience and strength. CONCLUSION: More research is needed with fathers, extended family members, asylum-seekers and in the LMIC context. A transnational lens needs to be applied to programs, policies and future research for refugee, asylum-seeker and undocumented migrant parents. Addressing transnational concerns (family separation and reunification), acknowledging transnational resources, fostering a transnational family identity and conducting transnational and longitudinal studies are potentially pivotal approaches for this sub-population of parents.

'Race' and HIV vulnerability in a transnational context: the case of Chinese immigrants to Canada.

Although immigrants' sustained connections with their homelands are well documented, so far we know little about how 'race' - in particular, conceptions of race back home - influences the HIV vulnerability of racialised immigrants to Western countries. Drawing on data from a multi-sited, qualitative study of Chinese immigrants to Canada, this paper presents a contextualised understanding of the impacts of race on HIV risk faced by these individuals in a transnational context. Data were collected from four study sites in Canada and China as part of a study investigating the relationship between HIV risk and transnationalism. Although race appears to have bearing on their risk perceptions and sexual practices, immigrants' understandings of race are not necessarily consistent with dominant discourses of race in Canada, but are also mediated by their racial habitus developed in China. Findings reveal the complex power dynamics - not just power asymmetries but also power fluidity - around race from a transnational perspective and thus challenge the assumed dichotomy of dominance and subordination underpinning traditional explanations of the relationship between race and HIV risk. In the context of transnationalism, researchers should go beyond a nation-bound concept of society (i.e. the host society) and take into account the simultaneous influence of both host and home countries on immigrant health.

Intimacy, identity and relationship in the accounts of Chinese immigrants to Canada: the contribution of narrative analysis.

In this paper we use narrative analysis to consider how the discursive resources that come with living 'in between' countries and cultures unfold in personal stories. We do this by presenting a close analysis of two transcripts drawn from a study about the vulnerability to HIV faced by Chinese immigrants to Canada. Our goal is to illustrate the application of narrative analysis and highlight the contributions it can make to conceptualising how transnationalism becomes consequential in accounts of intimate life. In narrative terms, transnationalism lends each life situation dual or multiple interpretive frameworks. Migrants from China to Canada situate their personal stories in relation to social and cultural norms and features of both nations. Yet, as our analysis makes apparent, 'Canada' and 'China' do not carry singular or consistent meanings in migrants' stories. Attention to the role of stories in self-making allows us to better understand why transnational contexts appear as they do in narrative accounts, and responds to calls for more accurate mappings of the interface between transnationalism and the subject. Attention to how stories are 'put together' shows that transnational discursive resources are assembled in ways that bolster, and also undermine, entitlements to safe and equitable intimate relationships.

Masculinities on transnational journeys: sexual practices and risk management among male Chinese immigrants to Canada.

Recent critical studies of men and masculinities have encouraged greater consideration of global, international and transnational perspectives and processes. Drawing on interview data from a larger research study of transnationalism and HIV risk through the experiences of recent male Chinese immigrants to Canada, this article examines the intersection of masculinity, sexual practice and the HIV risk in a transnational context. As a gendered strategy, transnational mobility is not only employed by men to cope with the challenges of masculinity enactment encountered in Canada, but also to facilitate sexual activities back in China. By highlighting particular risk factors arising from transnational spaces these men inhabit, the paper reveals the interactive and interconnected effects that such experiences have on Chinese immigrant men's particular behavioural patterns associated with HIV risk, as well as their capacity to respond to this risk.

Sexuality and everydayness in a transnational context: toward a re-imagined West-China relationship?

This paper examines how Chinese immigrants to Canada perceive and experience sexuality in a transnational context as revealed in a qualitative study. It identifies cultural interactions and tensions between 'the West' and 'China' embedded in participants' sexual narratives. Three thematic aspects of sexuality are explored: different views toward 'relationships' and how sex is involved in different stages of a relationship; physical desire and sexual attraction based on individuals' dialogues with contemporaries and their own cross-racial dating experience; and perceptions of sexual risks associated with an increasing awareness of China's opening up, in particular risks associated with attitudes towards condom use. The paper also discusses how such sexual narratives challenge dichotomous imaginings of 'sexual openness/conservativeness' in the West-China relationship. Findings help us to better understanding how Chinese immigrants to Canada view the West through the lens of sexuality, and how their transnational experiences have challenge the West-China dichotomy in the sexual imagination and shape understandings of sexual risk.