Defining boundaries between two immigrant waves from Latvia: a study of Latvian supplementary schools in the U.S.

Abstract

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and reestablishment of Latvia’s independence in 1991, followed by removal of the Soviet-imposed restrictions on human mobility, there has been an exodus of Latvians to Western countries, some of which, such as the U.S., already had substantial populations of Latvians since the last wave of emigration took place during World War II. Consequently, two parallel and mutually detached Latvian communities have emerged in the U.S. – one consisting of World War II refugees and their descendants, the second – a largely scattered community of postindependence immigrants from Latvia, both of whom embody different migration experiences and expressions of Latvian identity. This interdisciplinary mixed methods study of intergroup relationships between Latvian Americans and post-independence immigrants from Latvia, conducted through the network of Latvian supplementary schools in the United States, which is the main site where they come together, capture the current status of the relationships and expose existing barriers that set the two groups apart. In the end, this study investigates what role Latvian supplementary schools play in bridging the two groups.