Social Mobility and the Intergenerational Transmission of Privilege
About this Event
Dr. Adrienne Atterberry’s study, Transnational Families and Return Migration, centers the experiences of ethnic Indian families that left the US and returned to India. This Fulbright-funded study analyzes interview data collected from 35 middle- and upper-class families to reveal the practices and strategies return migrant families use to transmit privilege intergenerationally. In her analysis, Atterberry explains why and how parents decide to relocate their family to India; how parents leverage schools, international travel, and personal and professional networks to keep their children on the path to selective colleges, prestigious careers, and promising futures; how parents and their children work together in the intergenerational transmission of privilege; and the role of transnational family networks in shaping and supporting children’s aspirations.
In this presentation, Atterberry unpacks how middle- and upper-class parents and their children living in Bengaluru, a city in southwest India, rely on transnational family networks in the transmission of social and economic advantages from one generation to the next. Using data collected from return migrant ethnic Indian families, Atterberry argues that we need to look beyond the parent-child relationship to understand how socially privileged families buttress their advantages for the next generation. To make this argument, she discusses how the practical and emotional support provided by extended family members positively impacts the quality of life for return migrant parents and their children, the ways in which parents and extended family members help shape and support children’s aspirations, and how parents and their children work together when encountering difficulties in accomplishing shared goals.
Dr. Adrienne Atterberry is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Her research focuses on transnationally mobile families, children, and youth. Her work has appeared in journals such as Families, Relationships and Societies; Current Sociology; and Contemporary Education Dialogue. She edited the book Children and Youths’ Migration in a Global Landscape (Emerald).
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Allen House, 2 Solomont Way, Lowell, United States
USD 0.00
