Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

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Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies
as permanent residents. After the Dominican constitution was
amended in 1994 to allow dual citizenship, there was a Dominican
rush to naturalize.) Most emigrants go to New York City
(68 percent in 1990); starting in the mid-1980s their destinations
also included other cities of the eastern seaboard—Boston,
Providence, and Hartford—and in the South, Miami.
In the 1960s and early 1970s, many professionals emigrated
because of the lack of professional opportunities, thus constituting
a brain drain, one that affected some key professions.
Later, the majority of those emigrating were unemployed,
unskilled, and women. A sizable minority (about one-third),
however, emigrated not only for economic reasons but to continue
their education, especially graduate and professional, or
to join other family members. Many planned to save their
money and return home to start a small business. In the 1980s
and 1990s, the emigrants' educational and skill levels have
been changing. Whereas the majority are still unskilled, an
increasing minority includes emigrants who are relatively more
educated and skilled than the Dominican populace as a whole.
Most come from cities, but the mid- to large-sized farms of the
overpopulated Cibao also send large numbers. Working in the
United States has become almost an expected part of the lives
of Dominicans from families of moderate means.
This practice linking the two countries has resulted in the
development of what some scholars call the "dual societies"
Dominican and United States—and the "dual identity" of
Dominicans. Their moving back and forth, working and saving
in the United States, being influenced by United States values,
produces a north-south transnationalism. Because so many
Dominicans live and work in New York City, a special word
"Domyork"—was created at home to describe those returning
to visit, open a business, or retire.
Cash remittances from Dominicans living abroad have
become an integral part of the national economy. Emigrants'
remittances constitute a significant percentage of the country's
foreign exchange earnings. Remittances are used to finance
businesses, purchase land, and bolster a family's standard of living.
Most emigrants see sending money as an obligation.
Although some refuse to provide assistance, they come under
severe criticism from both fellow emigrants and those who
remain behind. The extent to which an emigrant's earnings are
committed to family and kin is sometimes striking. Anthropologist
Patricia Pessar has described a Dominican man in New
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