Abstract
Monir is a 27-year-old cab driver in New York City. In his spare time, he takes classes at Hunter College, where he is currently finishing his last semester before getting his Bachelor’s degree. Like the majority of Bangladeshis who migrate to the US, Monir won a Diversity Visa (DV) through the lottery in 2004 and came directly to New York to live with his aunt and uncle. When asked why and how he decided to come to the US, Monir explains: ‘My family saved money so I can come to the USA and they pay for the visa which cost $500 at that time. That’s how we make the decision when we come to the USA.’ His upper socio-economic status — not an uncommon characteristic for many Bangladeshi immigrants in the US - allowed him to afford migration costs and settlement at his destination. Monir proudly notes that his family ranks high in Bangladeshi society: ‘ my family, they are high status. This is why I can come here.’ He lives in Jackson Heights, ‘the land of the Bengalis,’ a neighbourhood that has seen its Bangladeshi population explode since 1995.
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Stevanovic-Fenn, N. (2014). Gendering Remittances: Contested Masculinities among Bangladeshi Male Immigrants in New York City. In: Rahman, M.M., Yong, T.T., Ullah, A.K.M.A. (eds) Migrant Remittances in South Asia. International Political Economy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137350800_8
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