Kay Deaux

Kay Deaux, distinguished professor of psychology at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, will study the immigration process from a social psychological perspective. She will focus on the ways immigrant identities evolve in the face of pressure to maintain ethnic traditions while adapting to the new norms, expectations, and stereotypes they encounter in the United States. Why, for example, do some members of a West Indian community shift to an African American identity while others maintain their West Indian identity? Or, why do some Eastern European immigrants quickly adopt both the language and customs of the U.S. while others prefer to remain close to the people and traditions of their country of origin? Drawing on studies of the West Indian, Dominican, and European immigrant communities, Deaux will also explore the willingness of immigrant groups to interact with members of other groups and the degree to which members of defined ethnic groups endorse collective strategies of action.