The Cultural Politics of Nation and Migration

Abstract Transnationalism refers to the linkages, identities, and practices that migrants maintain between their homeland and host country, increasingly facilitated by digital and mass media (Levitt 2004; Vertovec 2009). This study employs transnationalism theory to conceptualize five sociopolitical communication practices and identity dynamics: (1) identity preferences, (2) media preferences, (3) political participation, (4) civic engagement, and (5) language preferences. This study examines the dynamics of transnationalism among Iraqi Americans through a field survey of interviews with a sample of the Iraqi community in the United States. The study proceeds along two trajectories. Firstly, it assesses preferences across five cultural–civic dimensions: media, identity, language, political participation, and civic engagement as they relate to the homeland and the host society. Secondly, it constructs and estimates a composite Transnational Linkages Index ( TLI ) to quantify acculturation and cross-border ties across these five dimensions, identifying stronger vs. weaker dimensions, and distinguishing ties that sustain homeland linkages (tempering acculturation) from those that foster integration in the host country. The study addresses a measurement gap in capturing migrants’ capacity for acculturation and the distribution of ties across dimensions. Research was conducted from April 16 to July 19, 2024, and received IRB approval from Bridgewater State University, USA —Case #2024093.