Citizendia

Not to be confused with Intermarriage.
For other uses, see assimilation (disambiguation).

Cultural assimilation (often called merely assimilation) is a process of integration whereby members of an ethno-cultural community (such as immigrants, or ethnic minorities) are "absorbed" into another, generally larger, community. Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term This implies the loss of the characteristics of the absorbed group, such as language, customs, ethnicity and self-identity.

Assimilation may be spontaneous, which is usually the case with immigrants, or forced, as is often the case of the assimilation of ethnic minorities (see forced assimilation. Forced assimilation is a process of forced Cultural assimilation of religious or ethnic Minority groups into an established and generally larger community

A region or society where several different groups are spontaneously assimilated is sometimes referred to as a melting pot. The melting pot is an analogy for the way in which homogeneous societies develop in which the ingredients in the pot (people of different cultures races and religions are

Contents

Cultural influence

A group (a state or an ethnicity) can spontaneously adopt a different culture due to its political relevance, or to its perceived superiority. The first is the case of the Latin culture and language, that were gradually adopted by most of the subjugated people.

The second is the case of subjugated, but older and richer culture, which see itself imitated by the new masters, e. g. the victorious Roman Republic adopted more from the Hellenistic cultures than it imposed in most domains, except such Roman specialities as law and the military. The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the This article focuses on the cultural aspects of the Hellenistic age for the historical aspects see Hellenistic period.

Assimilation of immigrants

Immigrant assimilation is a complex process in which an immigrant fully integrates himself or herself into a new country. Social scientists rely on four primary benchmarks to assess immigrant assimilation: socioeconomic status, geographic distribution, language attainment, and intermarriage. Socioeconomic status (SES is a combined measure of an individual's or family’s economic and social position relative to others based on Income, Education, and William A. V. Clark defines immigrant assimilation "as a way of understanding the social dynamics of American society and that it is the process that occurs spontaneously and often unintended in the course of interaction between majority and minority groups". [1].

It has been found that Between 1880 and 1920, the United States had taken in roughly 24 million immigrants. [2] This increase in immigration can be attributed to many historical changes one being the cold war politics from the 1960s through the 1980s and the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 [3] Over 1. 8 million Jews (including some non-Jewish family members) emigrated from the Former Soviet Union. [3] The major destination countries for Former Soviet Union Jewish immigrants between 1968 and 2000 were Israel (about 1. 1 million), the United States (over 400,000), Germany (about 130,000), and Canada (about 30,000). The United States of America —commonly referred to as the [3] The beginnng of the twenty-first century has also marked a massive era of immigration, and sociologist are once trying to make sense of the impact that immigration has on society and the impact it has on immigrants themselves. [2]

Theoretical explanations

Researchers have attempted to explain the assimilation rate for post 1965 immigrants in the United States with experiences of immigrants who entered the United States between 1880 and 1920. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the [2] Many of the methods and theories that are used to assess immigrant assimilation today are derived from earlier immigrant studies. The word theory has many distinct meanings in different fields of Knowledge, depending on their methodologies and the context of discussion. One of the leading theories in understanding immigrant assimilation came from William I. Thomas and Florian Znaniecki whom published "The Polish Peasant in Europe and America". [2] William I. Thomas and Florian Znaniecki's study on Polish immigrants(1880-1910)assessed how these immigrants built an institutional community in the United States during the Napoleonic War. Institutions are structures and mechanisms of Social order and Cooperation governing the Behavior of a Set of Individuals The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815 involved Napoleon's French Empire and a shifting set of European allies and opposing coalitions [2] Another influence on immigrant assimilation came from Robert Park, Ernest Burgess, and William I. Thomas, in which they trained graduate students to study the experiences of immigrants in Chicago. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Robert Park, Ernest Burgess, and William I. Thomas provided these graduate students with theoretical tools such as Park's theory on collective behavior. [2] The third theory on immigrant assimilation comes from Gordon's book, Assimilation in American life. Gordon highlighted the generational change in immigrant groups, it states that the first generation or foreign born were less assimilated and less exposed to American life than their American-born children (the [second generation]), and their grandchildren (third-generation) were more like the American mainstream than their parents. [2].

Theoretical models to immigrant assimilation

The first, classic and new assimilation model sees immigrants and native-born people following a "straight-line" or a convergence. [3] This theory sees immigrants becoming more similar over time in norms, values, behaviors, and characteristics. [4] This theory also expects those immigrants residing the longest in the host population, as well as the members of later generations, to show greater similarities with the majority group than immigrants who have spent less time in the host society. The word theory has many distinct meanings in different fields of Knowledge, depending on their methodologies and the context of discussion. Generation (from the Greek γενεά) also known as procreation, is the act of producing Offspring. [5]The second, [racial]/ethnic disadvantage model states that immigrant's chances to assimilate are "blocked". An example of this model would be discrimination and institutional barriers to employment and other opportunities. Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. [6]. The third, the segmented assimilation model theorizes that structural barriers, such as poor urban schools, cut off access to employment and other opportunities — obstacles that often are particularly severe in the case of the most disadvantaged members of immigrant groups, and such impediments can lead to stagnant or downward mobility, even as the children of other immigrants follow divergent paths toward classic straight-line assimilation. Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term [7].

Core measurements to immigrant assimilation

Researchers have assessed that assimilation exists among immigrants because we can measure assimilation on four primary benchmarks. These core measurable aspects of immigrant assimilation that were formulated to study European immigrants are still the starting points for understanding current immigrant assimilation. The European peoples are the various Nations and Ethnic groups of Europe. Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term These measurable aspects of assimilation are socioeconomic status, spatial concentration, language attainment, and intermarriage. Socioeconomic status (SES is a combined measure of an individual's or family’s economic and social position relative to others based on Income, Education, and [2]

  1. Socioeconomic Status is defined by educational attainment, occupation, and income. Educational attainment is a term commonly used by statisticans to refer to the highest degree of education an individual has completed Income, refers to consumption opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame which is generally expressed in monetary terms By measuring socioeconomic status researchers want to find out if immigrants eventually catch up to native-born people in terms of human capital characteristics. A native-born citizen of a country is a person who was born within the country's territory and has been legally recognized as that country's citizen from birth Human capital refers to the stock of skills and knowledge embodied in the ability to perform labor so as to produce Economic value.
  2. Spatial Concentration is defined by geography or residential patterns. Geography (from Greek γεωγραφία - geografia) is the study of the Earth and its lands features inhabitants and phenomena Within a urban area there is a tendency for land uses to Aggregate. The spatial residential model (based on theories of Park) proposed by Massey states that increasing socioeconomic attainment, longer residence in the U. S, and higher generational status lead to decreasing residential concentration for a particular ethnic group. [4].
  3. Language Attainment is defined as the ability to speak English and the loss of the individual's mother tongue. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States A first language (also mother tongue, native language, arterial language, or L1) is the language a human being learns from birth [2] The three-generation model of language assimilation states that the first generation makes some progress in language assimilation but remains dominant in their native tongue, the second generation is bilingual, and the third-generation only speaks English. Generation (from the Greek γενεά) also known as procreation, is the act of producing Offspring. A first language (also mother tongue, native language, arterial language, or L1) is the language a human being learns from birth [2]
  4. Intermarriage is defined by race and only occasionally by ethnicity and generation. The term race or racial group usually refers to the concept of categorizing Humans into Populations or groups on the basis of various sets Generation (from the Greek γενεά) also known as procreation, is the act of producing Offspring. [2] High rates of intermarriage are considered to be an indication of social integration because it reveals intimate and profound relations between people of different groups, intermarriage reduces the ability of families to pass on to their children a consistent ethnic culture and thus is an agent of assimilation. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic [5]

Policies on immigrant assimilation

When considering immigrant assimilation it is important to consider why immigrants migrate. One reason immigrants migrated was The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act(IRCA), which legalized 2. 3 million formally undocumented Mexican Immigrants. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. [2] This Act freed these newly legalized immigrants from the fear of being apprehended, and it was found that many of these immigrants moved to states beyond the nearest U. S-Mexican border. [2].

Modifications for assessing immigrant assimilation

Studies on immigrant assimilation in the 19th century and 20th century conclude that immigrants had a hard time catching up to the same human capital characteristics as native-born people in the 19th century, but studies in the 20th century suggest that immigrants eventually catch up to native born people. Timothy J. Hatton explains this puzzle on immigrant assimilation in the 19th century and in the 20th century. Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term He explores how recent studies have been producing misleading results between the two. Hatton focuses his research on the specification of the earnings function. [6]. Hatton argues that that specification of the earnings function should be improved in two ways. First, immigrants who arrived as children should be treated separately from those who arrived as adults. [6] Second, specification of the earnings function should be better approximate to the true shape of age-earnings profiles. [6]. Hatton points out that with these modifications , the patterns of immigrant earnings which have emerged make more sense with those of the 20th century and with traditional views on immigrant assimilation in the 19th century. [6]

Owning a home and immigrant assimilation

Owning a home can be seen as a step into assimilation. William A. V. Clark explores this link in his book "Immigrants and the American Dream Remarking the Middle Class". Clark is aware that the process of assimilation is more than just being able to purchase a home. He argues that "homeownership" is one of the steps of assimilation, it is becoming part of the community and a neighborhood, and being a part of the daily activities that take place in a community. In biological terms a community is a group of interacting Organisms sharing an environment. A neighbourhood or neighborhood (see spelling differences) is a geographically localised Community within a larger City, Town or [1]

Naturalization and immigrant assimilation

Citizenship is one of the most significant dimensions of assimilation outside of marriage. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE ROMEOS ************** [1] The immigration debate focuses not only the number of immigrants who should be admitted, who should be allowed to be admitted but it is also looks at the processes of incorporation, and most importantly how citizenship should be extended and to who it should be extended to. Debate ( American English) or debating ( British English) is a formal method of interactive and position representational Argument. [1] For example, should it be extended to those who arrive illegally. [1] Allowing for naturalization of immigrants can create tension in assimilation. Naturalization is the acquisition of Citizenship or Nationality by somebody who was not a citizen or national of that country when he or she was born On one hand, those who favor the admission of immigrants input that these new residents will help build and enrich the American democratic process. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system [1] However others argue that the nature and legitimacy of the nation may be challenged and perhaps even threatened. A nation is a Human Cultural and Social Community. In as much as most members never meet each other yet feel a common bond it may be considered [1]

New immigrant gateways and immigrant assimilation

Although it is changing, the overwhelming majority of immigrants still settle in traditional gateway states such as Florida, New York, California, Illinois, Texas, and Massachusetts. The word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem acc of traditio which means "a giving up delivering up surrendering" and is used in a number of [2]. It has found that immigrants settle in traditional gateways where there are large populations of foreign-born people. The word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem acc of traditio which means "a giving up delivering up surrendering" and is used in a number of Walters and Jimenez have illustrated the changes in the geographic distribution and the rates of growth of immigration in the United States. Geography (from Greek γεωγραφία - geografia) is the study of the Earth and its lands features inhabitants and phenomena The United States of America —commonly referred to as the [2] They show the number of foreign-born individuals in states where the foreign-born population grew by a factor of two or more between 1990 and 2000. [2] Walters and Jimenez found that the largest percentage growth in the foreign-born population, was found in either the Midwest or the South in additional none of the traditional gateways were included in this large percentage growth. South is one of Cardinal directions and is opposite to the North. [2] Walters and Jimenez noted that a reason these traditional gateways did not have an increase at the same rate of the new gateways was because, new gateways did not have many immigrants to begin with. The word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem acc of traditio which means "a giving up delivering up surrendering" and is used in a number of Walters and Jimenez have argued that this new change in geography could possibly change the way researchers assess immigrant assimilation. Geography (from Greek γεωγραφία - geografia) is the study of the Earth and its lands features inhabitants and phenomena They argue that these new gateways are unique and they propose that immigrant assimilation may be different from the experiences of immigrants in more traditional gateways in at least three ways. First, the long history of immigration in these established gateways means that the place of immigrants in terms of class, racial, and ethnic hierarchies in these traditional gateways are more structured or established on the other hand these new gateways do not have much immigration history therefore the place of immigrants in terms of class, racial, and ethnic hierarchies is less defined and immigrants may have more influence to define their position. Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions (or stratification) between individuals or groups in Societies or Cultures. The term race or racial group usually refers to the concept of categorizing Humans into Populations or groups on the basis of various sets History is the study of the past particularly the written record Those who study history as a Profession are called Historians Etymology [2] Second, the size of new gateways may influence immigrant assimilation. [2] Having a smaller gateway may influence the level of segregation among immigrants and native-born people. Third, the difference in institutional arrangements may influence immigrant assimilation. Traditional gateways unlike new gateways have many institutions set up to help immigrants which include legal-aid, bureaus, social organizations. [2] Finally, Walters and Jimenez have only speculated that these differences may influence immigrant assimilation and the way researchers should assess immigrant assimilation.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Clark, W. Acculturation is the exchange of cultural features that results when groups come into continuous firsthand contact the original cultural patterns of either or both groups may be altered Americanization can refer to the policies of the United States government and public opinion that there is a standard set of cultural values that should be held in common Cultural imperialism is the practice of promoting distinguishing separating or artificially injecting the Culture or language of one nation into another Cultural appropriation is the adoption of some specific elements of one culture by a different cultural group Diaspora politics is the study of the political behavior of transnational ethnic Diasporas their relationship with their ethnic Homelands and An ethnic interest group or ethnic lobby, according to Thomas Ambrosio, is an Interest group (often a Foreign policy interest group) established Ethnocide is a concept related to Genocide. Primarily the term close to Cultural genocide, is used to describe the destruction of a culture of a people as opposed Forced assimilation is a process of forced Cultural assimilation of religious or ethnic Minority groups into an established and generally larger community A forced conversion is the conversion to a Religion or philosophy under duress with the threatened consequence of earthly penalties or harm Hanukkah (חנוכה alt Chanukah) also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Hegemony (hɨˈdʒɛməni (Amer /hɨˈɡɛməni/ (Brit (ἡγεμονία hēgemonía) is a concept that has been used to describe and explain the dominance of one social Intercultural competence is the ability of successful Communication with people of other Cultures This ability can exist in someone at a young age or may be developed Language shift, sometimes referred to as language transfer or language replacement or assimilation, is the progressive process whereby a speech community In Linguistics, language death (also language extinction, linguistic extinction, and sometimes pejoratively as linguicide) is a process Mexicans in Omaha are people living in Omaha Nebraska United States who have citizenship or ancestral connections to the country Mexico. " More Irish than the Irish themselves " ( Níos Gaelaí ná na Gaeil iad féin, Hiberniores Hibernis ipsis) was a phrase used in the Middle Ages The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation Patriotism is commonly defined as love of and/or devotion to one's country Political correctness (adjectivally politically correct; both forms commonly abbreviated to PC) is a term applied to Language, ideas policies or behavior Racial integration, or simply integration includes Desegregation (the process of ending systematic Racial segregation) 2003 Immigrants and the American Dream Remaking the Middle Class. NY, NY: The Guilford Press.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Waters, Mary C. ; Jiménez, Tomás R. "Assessing Immigrant Assimilation: New Empirical and Theoretical Challenges" Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 31 No. 1 (2005) 105-125
  3. ^ a b c [1].
  4. ^ Ellis, Mark and Goodwin-White, J. "Generation Internal Migration in the U. S. : Dispersion from States of Immigration?" International Migration Review, Vol. 40 No. 4 (2006) 899-926
  5. ^ Pagnini, L. and Morgan, S. P. "Intermarriage and the social distance among U. S. Immigrants at the Turn of the Century" American Journal of Sociology, Vol 96 No. 2 (1990) 405-432.
  6. ^ a b c d Hatton, Timothy J. "The Immigrant Assimilation Puzzle in Late Nineteenth-Century America" Journal of Economic History, Vol. 57 No. ((Mar. 1997) 34-62

References

External links

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