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The construction of identities is spatial (Foucault & Rabinow, 1984, Harvey 1989; Rasmussen, 2004). The meaning of who we are is shaped by meanings of spaces that we occupy in our lives. As we enter and exit various spaces in our lives, we construct multiple senses of ourselves and negotiate the meanings of those selves. When it comes to new immigrants, we need to examine not only "real" physical spaces (e.g., host countries) and self, but also their imaginary space and self. This is because images of America and successful future-self they hold are central to immigrants' experience in a new land (Ogbu, 1987); those images of America they hold have a great impact on the meanings they assign to their current-spaces and current-selves in the U.S. Such meanings further determine their present actions. In this article, I will examine what meanings first-generation immigrant girls assign to their current spaces and current-selves, and how they imagine their future spaces and future-selves. Additionally, I will look at how the dialogues between their current-self and future-self influence their actions at school. Based on the post-structuralist belief that power plays a significant role in construction of space and self (Ong et al, 1996), in my analysis, I will pay particular attention to how power operates in their dialogues. Immigrants' Hopes and Upward Mobility Beliefs of meritocracy in America, which are juxtaposed with new immigrants' perception of limited economic opportunities in their home countries (Alba & Nee, 2005; Gibson, 1987; Ogbu 1987), continue to attract immigrants from various parts of the world. Today immigrants come to the United States from multiple nations--resulting in a foreign--born population that makes up 12.5 percent of the total U.S population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2009). Immigrants' firm beliefs in American meritocracy are also combined with their views of American education. Many immigrants believe in the good quality of American education and view education as a promising investment for their financial success (Ogbu, 1987). In fact opportunity to receive quality education is one of the major reasons why immigrants enter this country (Suarez-Orozco et al, 2008). Such positive images of American society and American education are sustained among new immigrants even though their new lives in the U.S. are filled with challenges such as temporal economic and social downward mobility, linguistic cultural barriers, and racism (Alba & Nee, 2005; Gibson, 1988; Matute-Bianch, 1986; Waters, 1999). Today, the formation of these beliefs is not immune to the influence of neoliberalism, which is the dominant economic and political system in the US. (Harvey, 2005). Neoliberalism assumes that free market principles (i.e., individuals' free choice and attendant responsibility for their choices) promise a financial prosperity for individuals and society as a whole. To propagate this belief success stories of individuals, who are from humble beginnings and made their way up through their own effort, are circulated in the public discourse (Ong et al, 1996). Among many celebratory representations of "successful" persons, stories of immigrant girls from working-class backgrounds are highlighted in the media (Harris, 2004). The representation of these girls overlaps with the common findings of recent immigrant assimilation studies: first-generation immigrant girls have higher educational and occupational aspirations and achieve higher academic goals than boys and subsequent generations of immigrants (Portes & Rumbaut, 2001; Qin, 2003; Zhou & Bankston, 2001). While boys tend to demonstrate oppositional behavioral patterns in reaction to racism and limited opportunities for upward mobility in the U.S. (Matute Bianch, 1986; Valenzuela, 1999; Waters, 1999), girls tend to remain hopeful about their future in the U.S. (Lopez, 2003). Their optimism further promotes them to develop positive relationship with their American peers and teachers and to engage in academic activities persistently (Lopez, 2003; Qin, 2003; Suarez-Orozco et al. …

Dreaming and Surviving in Heterotopia: First-Generation Immigrant Girls’ Pursuit of the American Dream in New York City