Neighborhood alienation among Aging Immigrants

Project description

Neighborhoods are the everyday arenas of social life, shaping whether individuals feel secure, supported, and connected. For immigrants, especially as they age, the neighborhood can be both a site of opportunity and a source of exclusion. While extensive scholarship has examined immigrant integration in economic, political, and cultural domains, far less attention has been devoted to the neighborhood as a critical context of integration. Yet it is in local communities that immigrants forge social ties, access resources, and interact with native-born residents. The overarching goal of this project is to advance understanding of neighborhood belonging and alienation as a dimension of immigrant integration across the life course, with particular attention to aging populations. By conceptualizing neighborhood alienation as a fundamental aspect of integration, the project addresses a critical gap in scholarship and policy, with direct implications for strengthening social cohesion in an aging, diverse society.