36. To Start a New Life As A British-American With Dr. James Densley
One of the most significant life changes you could ever make is to move to another country. It impacts every aspect of your life, from your identity, values, outlook, and more. It's like walking around anew in a blank state in an unfamiliar place. But along with this, this change can sometimes be a gamble. When you start a new life, it comes with some measure of uncertainty. That said, what are the actual realities of being an immigrant in another country?
In this episode, Dr. James Densley joins us again to discuss how he finds identity in being a British-American. He shares how he went to start a new life in America. Dr. James emphasizes the pros and cons that come with being an immigrant in the US. He highlights how he navigates these in his personal, family, and professional life. Finally, he explains the work they do at The Violence Project around gun violence and mass shootings.
Tune in to the episode to learn what it’s like to start a new life and identity in another country.
3 reasons why you should listen to the full episode:
Learn what the British immigrant privilege is in America.
Find out the biggest challenges when you start a new life and move to another country.
Discover what it’s like to reinvent yourself and develop your identity as an immigrant.
Resources
Episode 35: How Do We Stop Gun Violence In America With Dr. James Densley
TEDx Talk: Violence in the Age of Social Media - James Densley
How Gangs Work by Dr. James Densley
Scotland’s Gang Members by Dr. James Densley
The Violence Project by Jillian Peterson and James Densley
LA Times: Op-Ed: Nearly all mass shooters have 4 things in common by Jillian Peterson and James Densley
Episode Highlights
[1:51] Changing to Being British-American
Dr. James made his citizenship application before the 2016 presidential election.
There was concern with the implications of being a green card holder under the Trump presidency.
[3:44] The British Privilege in America
He lived in New York for three years and went back to the UK to finish his Ph.D. After three years, he moved to Minnesota and has been living there since.
People were fascinated whenever he would talk with a British accent in the beginning.
Playing into the British stereotype becomes a privilege in the US. It’s different from the experience of other immigrants who experience racism and many barriers.
Dr. James: “The conception of immigration in this country is totally broken. We put people into these neat little boxes.”
Being British in the US comes with personal and professional advantages.
Having a comparative perspective helps him snag opportunities to participate in events or speak at conferences.
[10:03] Start a New Life in Another Country
The hardest thing for all immigrants when they start a new life is the separation from family and friends.
He had to buy a phone card with expensive charges to call his now-wife when they were in a long-distance relationship. Today, online communication is easier.
Dr. James got the news that his father passed away when he was 4000 miles away from them.
The biggest challenge is missing people and cultural things from home.
[12:10] How Patriotism Gets Sparked
You don't know who you are until you get taken out of the context of your country.
Getting out of that context made Dr. James think about how uniquely British some of his values and viewpoints are.
Dr. James: “You do get an element of sort of patriotism or something like that that kind of speaks to that idea that you are seeing yourself as separate from that country and then you feel sort of protective over at the same time.”
[14:58] Developing the Identity of Their Family
Dr. James's 10-year-old oldest son was born in London, while his 4-year-old youngest son was born in Minnesota.
His oldest son always answers that he’s from London but with an American accent. Meanwhile, his youngest son fully identifies as an American.
His wife is part Japanese and part Dutch, but she looks more Hispanic.
Listen to the full episode to learn how Dr. James's family keeps their diverse cultural traditions alive in their kids!
Their family tries to embrace all different sorts of cultural aspects as they develop their identity.
[17:38] Dr. James’s Identity
Dr. James thinks of himself as a British American.
He’s very British in America. But his American part is also strong, having lived in the country for 13 years.
He has worked most of his professional life in the US and is thankful for the opportunities he got here.
Dr. James was lucky to land a tenure track position at a university when he moved to the US. It enabled him to work his way through becoming a full professor.
Dr. James: "If I had stayed in the UK, would I have been as lucky to have those opportunities, and would some of the things that have come my way, subsequently, have happened had I not been in the United States?"
The opportunities he has had in America have shaped his trajectory.
[20:17] Language and Accent
His accent has dramatically softened since coming to the US. At times, he sounds Australian.
People get confused whether he's American, Australian, or British in the UK. It takes a week for his British accent to come back.
At first, he was resistant to the use of American terms with British word equivalents. But he realized he had to become effectively bilingual as a professor.
[22:34] The Biggest Shift in Moving to Another Country
For Dr. James, it is trying to establish and reinvent himself at the same time.
One advantage of moving to the US is the blank slate it offers from a professional standpoint. For Dr. James, he builds on his title as a Ph.D. graduate.
However, there is a risk for him to get pigeonholed as a gang expert only in London. Thus, he tries to educate himself and diversify his expertise in the US context.
His expertise in knife crime and gangs in the UK has evolved into expertise in gun and youth violence in the US.
[25:19] How Reinventing Himself Became a Key to His Success on Gun Violence Research
It would have been very comfortable to continue down the same research path if he was in the UK.
He had to rebuild relationships, contacts, and questions on his research on Twin Cities in Minnesota.
His collaboration with Jillian Peterson sparked a research trajectory change to mass shootings.
Having transferable skills broadens your horizon.
[27:42] The Violence Project
It provides a database of anyone who has killed four or more people in a public space in the US.
The database incorporates their psychosocial life histories and 160 variables about aspects of their life.
The Off-Ramp Project offers interactive video content and lesson plans on tangible intervention points on the pathway to violence.
About Dr. James
Dr. James Densley is a Professor and the Department Chair of Criminal Justice at Metropolitan State University. He is also the co-founder and co-president of The Violence Project, a non-partisan and nonprofit violence research center. Here, they developed the most comprehensive Mass Shooter Database, funded by the National Institute of Justice. As an expert on street crimes, he has authored several highly acclaimed books on street crime and violence.
Dr. James has spoken in numerous speaking events, including TEDx. He is also a writer for several publications, such as CNN, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, LA Times, and USA Today. In 2017, the UK Prime Minister awarded Dr. James the Points of Light Award for his outstanding community volunteerism.
If you want to reach out to Dr. James, you can visit his website and LinkedIn. Don’t forget to visit The Violence Project.
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