Brave New World

Immigrants and refugees entering the U.S. encounter a bewildering array of artistic and cultural influences. In some cases, they are greeted with well-established cultural institutions (religious congregations, family associations, cultural centers, or arts organizations) that provide continuity with the forms of expression practiced in their native countries. In most instances, however, immigrants and refugees begin life in the U.S. speaking a non-English language, struggling to adapt to complex economic, social, and political institutions, and having few familiar avenues of cultural expression outside of the family. This session presented recent research by a cultural anthropologist on artistic activities within immigrant and refugee populations residing in a mostly suburban region of Northern California (Silicon Valley) which provided a starting point for a conversation among authorities from other regions who have been using the arts and culture as they work with newly arriving populations.

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