Narrating the lived experiences of migrant Jamaica teachers in the U.S.

Karen Thomas-Brown – University of Michigan-Dearborn – Department of Education

This research is a part of an active ongoing investigation into the notions of citizenships and the migration experiences of Jamaican teachers living in the United States. These teachers work mainly in inner city schools and are also participants in the historically globalized nature of the islands of the Caribbean. They are products of an education system in Jamaica that has historically adopted and readopted to societal needs as the political and economic fortunes of the island wax and wane. This research examines the impacts of and responses to the accelerated out migration of teachers in response to recruitment drives that originate in United States, Canada, and the UK as well as efforts by the Jamaican government to have Jamaican-trained teachers participate in international talent transfer. These recruitment drives and governmental efforts have attracted the most qualified, highly skilled, and experienced teachers in exchange for the promise of improved economic prospects in developed countries and the backward flows of social and economic remittances. This research uses neoliberalism and dependency theories to contextualize the notion of globalization in education, global and transnational citizenship as it pertains to the migrant teachers’ perceptions of themselves, and the economic, socio-political and cultural values they place on their Jamaican as opposed to their American citizenship.

Twitter: @dr_katbrown