Utilizing a Mix-Method Approach to Conceptualize Immigrant Neighborhoods

• In Event: 566 - Section on Latino/a Sociology Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 02. Immigrant Incorporation

Abstract

What is an ethnic enclave? This question has largely been answered with qualitative data. In a larger project we seek to assess why immigrant neighborhoods are low crime areas. In this paper we discuss the challenges involved in conceptualizing immigrant neighborhoods as ethnic enclaves quantitatively. For instance, what is the threshold in percent foreign-born by which a neighborhood can be conceptualized as an ethnic enclave? To address this issue in this paper we discuss the utility of mix method approaches in particular the ethnographic tool of rapid assessment procedures in conjunction with census data to increase the reliability in conceptualizing neighborhoods as ethnic enclaves for macro-level quantitative analyses.

Authors

• Maria Cristina Morales, University of Texas-El Paso

• Theodore Royer Curry, University of Texas-El Paso

• Harmon Hosch, University of Texas-El Paso

• Jorge Hernandez, University of Texas-El Paso