DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Marian Stewart Titus

Distant Close Ties:

Transnational Communication and the Primacy of Voice

 

 

Apr. 6, 2:00pm, Library Law Classroom (NL-314)

Mediated communication in immigrant spaces allows individuals to communicate one-on one without being constrained by  distance or time. The literature on tie strength stresses the efficacy of weak ties for job seekers, including immigrants. However, close interpersonal ties between immigrants are also maintained and strengthened between countries for less utilitarian purposes -- routine conversations, romantic and platonic relationships, conflict enactment and resolution. Close ties can be kin and non-kin, and their communication is frequent, intense, and enduring. This presentation explores research among 37 Jamaican immigrants living in New York City, returned migrants to Jamaica, and non-migrants living in Jamaica. The project uses a unique methodology of personal interviews with cross-border respondent pairs, with close ties selected by respondents. Major findings demonstrate that respondents most prefer voice and text-based communication, although they can choose from many IT options.  Other findings unearth the emotional, logistical, and material strategies respondents create to cope with ongoing, long-term separation to meet the unique relational needs of distant close ties.

 

Marian Stewart Titus is an adjunct professor of English at Bronx Community College and Lehman College of the City University of New York as well as a Ph.D. candidate at Rutgers University. Her scholarly work focuses on communication, immigration, and technology and includes articles on "Remote Parenting across National Borders."

 

moderator: John Ziegler

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.