Abstract

This study profiles the experiences of Irish immigrant entrepreneurs in Boston and New York. Through an in-depth analysis of the types of immigrants who become entrepreneurs and the role of ethnicity in mobilizing opportunities, this work advances our understanding of how immigrant entrepreneurs adapt ethnic strategies in response to local, transnational and global economies. This study develops two important concepts that enhance our understanding of the dynamics of immigrant entrepreneurship. Firstly, this work introduces a model of immigrant entrepreneurship which emphases migrant orientation as a mode of economic activity. Mode of orientation focuses on how immigrant entrepreneurs adapt strategies of localism and cosmopolitanism to accommodate different forms of capital within diverse networks and markets. Secondly, this work develops the concept of the diasporic enclave to explore the role of local and transnational networks among immigrant entrepreneurs. The diasporic enclave provides a new framework for understanding how immigrant entrepreneurs mobilize ethnic solidarity, which accounts for the important role of migrant networks both within the host society and the homeland. In particular, it increases our knowledge of how migrants use different forms of capital to navigate local networks within the host society, and transnational networks that span global markets. IX