Exploring the culture trap

ABSTRACT

In the U.S., West Indian immigrants are often viewed as a model minority, but in the U.K., they perform poorly compared to other racial and ethnic groups. These disparate outcomes are explained by historical and structural variables, including the order of migration, the timing of arrival, immigrant selectivity, continuing transnational contact, and the U.S. and U.K.’s different relationship with the Caribbean. Nevertheless, educators in both countries explain the educational performance of West Indian immigrant children through preconceived cultural lens. Superficially, these ethnic expectations work out positively for American West Indians and negatively for British West Indians but, in reality, ethnic expectations reflect the use of culture to rank and subordinate black immigrants, in general. However, ethnic expectations are widespread in racialized societies and can be applied more broadly to help explain the subordination of other racial and ethnic groups. African Americans are notable in this regard.

KEYWORDS:

• African Americans
• West Indian Immigrants
• Culture
• Ethnic expectations
• Model Minorities
• The American Dream

Notes

1 See, for instance, topscoreja.com.