Cape Verdean Immigrants in America: The Socialization of Young Men in an Urban Environment

Lima studies the socialization of young, male Cape Verdean immigrants. Families, schools and neighborhoods play an important role. The fact that many parents did not speak English and could not "read" their society, led the young men to become cultural and language brokers at home. Those who found social support in school were those who eventually graduated. Those who did not do well academically could trace their failure to early negative experiences in school. Lima's work supports the idea that what immigrant families bring from the home country and what they find in their host country plays an important role in how their acculturation.