Chaldeans in Michigan

Front Cover
Michigan State University Press, 2005 - History - 112 pages

The Michigan Chaldean community consists of more than 100,000 people of Iraqi descent who live in the Metropolitan Detroit area. The earliest Chaldeans arrived in the Detroit area about 1910. Living in the northern suburbs--Southfield, Oak Park, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Farmington, Farmington Hills--most members of Detroit's Chaldean community trace their ancestry to a single town, Telkaif, in northern Iraq. Unlike most Iraqis, Chaldeans are Christians, members of a special rite of the Roman Catholic Church, called the Chaldean rite, from which they derive their name. Members of the community are known in the Detroit area for their successful practice of the retail grocery business, in which Chaldeans have been involved since their earliest days in the United States.
Chaldeans in Michigan discusses three major community institutions--family, Church, and business--and the ways they relate to each other.Chaldeans in Michigan also discusses recent developments within the Chaldean community, including relations with other Detroit- area groups and problems that have arisen in recent years due to a larger and more diverse population. Chaldeans, like most American ethnic groups, are concerned with educating their children in the culture of their ancestors. At the same time, however, Michigan Chaldeans still absorb a large number of new immigrants each year, requiring them to continue to provide assistance to new arrivals in adapting to the American environment. In addition, Chaldeans today also must deal with the grief of watching their adopted country at war in their ancestral homeland.

From inside the book

 

Contents

Introduction
1
Culture and Institutions in the Chaldean Community
13
A Changing Population
45
Copyright

6 other sections not shown

Other editions - View all

Chaldeans in Michigan
Mary C. Sengstock
Snippet view - 2005

Common terms and phrases

activities American ancient Arabic arrivals assistance associated Assyrian become called Catholic Catholic Church Center Chaldean Church Chaldean community Chaldean families Chaldean immigrants Christians claim considerable continue Crain's Detroit Business culture deal Detroit area developed early economic elderly English established ethnic communities ethnic groups example extended family fact focus founded friends grocery business grocery store groups Hence History identify identity immigrants important institutions involved Iraq Iraqi language laws leaves living located major March marriage married Mary means Metropolitan Michigan Middle East Middle Eastern Migration moved Muslim occupation operations organizations origin parents particularly pattern persons population preferred Press problems recent relatives religion religious remain residents rite Sengstock sense serve social society Studies stuffing Telkaif tend term town twentieth century United University village whole World York

About the author (2005)

Mary C. Sengstock is Professor of Sociology at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She is the author of Chaldean-Americans: Changing Conceptions of Ethnic Identity.

Bibliographic information

TitleChaldeans in Michigan
Discovering the peoples of Michigan
AuthorMary C. Sengstock
Editionillustrated
PublisherMichigan State University Press, 2005
Original fromthe University of Michigan
DigitizedSep 23, 2008
ISBN0870137425, 9780870137426
Length112 pages
Subjects ›  ›  › 

History / United States / 20th Century
History / United States / State & Local / Midwest (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI)
Social Science / Emigration & Immigration
Social Science / Ethnic Studies / General
Social Science / Race & Ethnic Relations
Social Science / Sociology / General
  
Export CitationBiBTeX EndNote RefMan