American individualism and the social incorporation of unaccompanied Guatemalan Maya young adults in Los Angeles

This study prompts a re-examination of segmented assimilation by investigating the social incorporation of unauthorized Guatemalan Maya young adults who arrive to the USA as unaccompanied minors to work while their families remain abroad. Unaccompanied Guatemalan Maya young adult participants of a Los Angeles support group show that Americanization and the adoption of American individualism equips youth growing up without parents or supportive social institutions with the rhetoric and behaviours of self-responsibility necessary for emotional, psychological and financial stability. As youth become expressive individuals, their social commitments move from the transnational family to the local community, which bolsters social incorporation and shapes aspirations for socio-economic mobility.