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Congolese Cultural Landscapes, Transnational Networks, And Identity Formation In Milwaukee, Claire Marie Reuning

Theses and Dissertations

Following national trends, between 2000 and 2010, the city of Milwaukee's foreign-born African population doubled. Previous research attributes this population growth to various socio-economic and political factors on the African continent, the United State's implementation of the Diversity Visa Lottery (DVL) program, and perceived economic opportunities. Applying a mixed methods approach, I analyze the spatial distribution of foreign-born Africans in Milwaukee County to contextualize a case study of people from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) worshipping at Milwaukee's International Lutheran Church of Zion (Zion Church). Using information gathered from participant observation, semi-structured interviews, census and demographic data, I …