Graduation Year
2019
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Ph.D.
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Degree Granting Department
Government and International Affairs
Major Professor
Darrell Slider, Ph.D.
Co-Major Professor
Bernd Reiter, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Harry Vanden, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Cornelis Boterbloem, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Elizabeth Aranda, Ph.D.
Keywords
grounded theory, immigration studies, political culture, qualitative
Abstract
It is a qualitative study about political socialization of first-generation ethnic Russian immigrants in Central and South Florida. The method used is a constructivist grounded theory with two-level coding. Based on data collected in forty in-depth interviews, I constructed a model of political socialization. It incorporates a starting point (the legal status in the US), triggers (English language proficiency, spousal support, and parenting), political socialization agencies (English as Second Language classes, a spouse, volunteering, the church) and output structures (bureaucratic institutions). Using respondents’ opinions about American vs. Russian political systems and mass media, their political participation, and views about political efficacy, I created an original classification of immigrants’ political attitudes and behavior. The classification consists of four groups: the Admirers, the Skeptics, the Incurious, and the Recluses. This study fills the gap in the literature about Russian-speaking immigrants in the US. It also contributes to the cache of micro-theories on immigrant political socialization.
Scholar Commons Citation
Mendez, Marina Seraphine, "When Faced with a Democracy: political socialization of first-generation ethnic Russian immigrants in Central and South Florida" (2019). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/7857
