Migration, Settlement and Incorporation of Latinos in Lawrence and Holyoke, Massachusetts and in Providence, Rhode Island.

Abstract: Latinos in Southern New England have formed barrios in small and midsize cities. To investigate such process, three cases are compared: Lawrence and Holyoke (MA), and Providence, (RI). The origin and settlement in these cities contrasts with the Latino ?big-city? experience. Unlike the path of incorporation suggested by assimilation views, the settlements are not the result of ?spill-overs? from a contiguous metro area, nor they result from suburbanization. The origin and expansion of Latino barrios in these cities stem from multiple migratory streams in which economic, social, cultural and political forces interlace. Further, Latinos have experienced an uneasy fit into the economies of these cities. They have been incorporated into the dying manufacturing and the low-end service sectors. Wages are low and poverty rates are among the highest in the region. Finally, in all three cities, Latinos are highly concentrated in specific neighborhoods, where they have lived since they initially settled. They have faced urban renewal and displacement, but contrary to Latinos in large urban areas, they have managed to remain. Further, the social incorporation of Latinos in these cities has been strongly contested by established residents and institutions. This dynamic has been marked by the effects of devolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]