A THEORY OF MIDDLEMAN MINORITIES.

Starting with the concept of "middleman minorities" developed by Blalock (1967 79-84), encompassing such groups as the Chinese in Southeast Asia, Jews in Europe, and Indians in East Africa, this paper presents a model which tries to explain the development and persistence of the form. A key variable is the orientation of immigrants towards their place of residence, with sojourning at first, and later a "stranger" orientation affecting the solidarity and economic activity of the ethnic grout. These in turn arouse the hostility of the host society, which perpetuates a reluctance to assimilate completely, or "stranger" status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]