Abstract This paper discusses the flaws inherent in the traditional concept of assimilation and acculturation. The paper explains why the weaknesses in this in the context of immigrant groups and mainstream society.
From the Paper "Traditionally, assimilation is regarded as an unidirectional, irreversible and sequential process that captures the immigrants' gradual shift away from their culture of origin to incorporate the characteristics of the dominant mainstream society over several generations. When the generation has succeeded in incorporating all the traits and cultural practices of the mainstream society, it is considered to have achieved significant progress. However, this traditional conception of assimilation and acculturation belies the dynamic quality and the different dimensions of assimilation; economic, social, cultural and political. Essentially, immigrant groups may..."
Abstract This paper examines the American immigration contradiction, in light of both intersectionality and essentialism, through the use of three related terms: xenophobia, assimilation, and ethnocentrism. The paper describes xenophobia as the fear and hatred of immigrants and compares it to ethnocentrism, which is explained as one group of people believing that they are superior to other groups. Assimilation is described as the process by which immigrant groups are absorbed into the larger culture of the United States despite these evident contradictions and obstacles to add to the culture at large.
From the Paper "The United States has always been considered to be a country where certain freedoms from discrimination and persecution are offered to a constantly-changing immigrant community which, as it is assimilated into the larger culture, changes this culture at the same time, creating a cycle of both intersectionality and diversity. At the same time, however, immigration policy can be seen to be contradictory because this consideration is countered by the dual anti-essentialist consideration that often treats immigrants as a threat to what are perceived as American values, and thus is often responsible for creating discriminatory policy. This treatment is frequently based on anti-essentialism as it is propounded in the mass media and asks that the immigrant role-play to meet stereotyped predetermined intuitions."
This paper discusses problems of assimilation and acculturation, which Chinese immigrant encounter when conforming to the American mainstream requirements.
Abstract This paper argues that it is wrong for Chinese immigrants to assimilate so fully that they lose pride in their own ethnicity. The author presents the background of Chinese immigration to the United States and the effects of assimilation.
From the Paper "The thesis of this paper is that it is wrong, perhaps even immoral, for Chinese immigrants to assimilate into American society to such an extent that they lose pride in their own ethnicity."
Abstract In this article, the writer notes that the United States remains one of the only nations to openly welcome immigrants as a national policy; Canada is another. The writer looks at the beginnings of immigration to the U.S. and notes that immigrants to the United States arrive for personal, financial, or political reasons. The writer points out that for centuries the United States has relied on immigrant labor to fuel industry and add nuance to the nation's cultural fabric. The writer maintains that the United States is no longer viewed as a melting pot because of the increased pride among immigrants in their native cultures and languages. Balancing assimilation with preservation of culture is still the most difficult task for immigrants, many of whom hope for a more stable life in the new world while still retaining the values and lifestyles of their ancestors. The writer concludes that refugees continue to hold a unique social, economic and political status in the United States.
From the Paper "The United States is a country populated primarily by immigrants; in fact, the nation was founded by European settlers fleeing the Continent for various reasons including perceived persecution and financial opportunity. Although the vast majority of immigrants to America arrived in search of economic opportunity or personal freedom, a large number came strictly as refugees. Immigrants arriving on American shores due to war or extreme poverty in their homelands comprise a far different demographic base than those who left their homelands voluntarily. Refugees are thus granted separate status in United States immigration policy. Regardless of the conditions of their countries of origin, immigrants also assimilate differently or at different paces. Some expatriates form ethnic enclaves within urban or suburban centers that preclude total assimilation, allowing individuals to retain elements of the culture of origin including religion and language. Other immigrants integrate into American society almost seamlessly. Interestingly, language and culture do not necessarily have a bearing on how completely a particular culture assimilates into American society."
Abstract The paper discusses Junot Diaz's "Drown," a collection of stories that tell of the contemporary misery and urban despair that can grow from poverty and distance from one's own cultural setting. The paper looks at the intersections of race and immigration in American history and then looks at the protagonists in Diaz's "Drown." The paper argues that the issues faced by the characters - poverty and racism - were quite similar to the ones faced by the earliest immigrants to this country. The paper concludes that the United States has long benefited from this cycle of immigration, assimilation and change. The paper argues that immigration is therefore an intrinsic part of the American Dream and as such, it should be allowed to continue.
Outline:
Race and Immigration: A Historical Perspective
The New Immigrants in Diaz's "Drown"
Conclusion
From the Paper "By the 1800s, one-third of the American population was composed of immigrants and their children. These figures show that there was actually much diversity at the dawn of America, and that immigration was an intrinsic part of the American Dream from the very beginning. Even more important, not every immigrant prior to 1900 was considered "white." Variations in European ancestry may seem trivial today, but in the 1790s, there was much tension and dissent among the people of various European descent. Americans who were of English extraction were very critical of how ethnic diversity was threatening the culture of the new colonies. Many even sought to limit immigration and criticized the newcomers for maintaining their own ethnic enclaves and clinging to their own language."
Abstract This paper analyzes the Arab immigration into Michigan during the 20th century. It includes a detailed description of Arab immigration in the Detroit and Dearborn areas. The author also discusses changing views of ethnic identity and assimilation.
From the Paper "The history of Arab immigration in Michigan particularly the Dearborn and Detroit areas illustrates similar challenges and experiences as those faced by other waves of immigrants in United States History ..."
Abstract The paper discusses the Great Depression-era films that explored the plight immigrants faced assimilating into American culture as well as earning a living and realizing the dreams of their ancestors. The paper then shows how after 1929 the elusive American Dream is shown in the classic movie "Of Mice and Men" while the films of the 1940s continued with immigrant themes and the Great Depression such as in "The Grapes of Wrath". The paper looks at the style of the films in the 1950s, the late 1960s and 1970s that witnessed a host of films that explored Italian and Jewish ethnic groups' immigrant roots. The paper shows how in the 1980s and 1990s historical events and immigration were further explored while movies in the 21st century incorporate elements of the drug trade and the Mexican/American border migration issue.
From the Paper "Movies offer a snapshot of the past when they contain themes about history, immigration, or society and culture. Some of the movies contain beautiful and haunting images that find a special place in our hearts and minds. Ultimately, filmmakers can bring history to life by creating the look and feel of past eras. When the film industry began to grow, it coincided with a wave of worldwide immigration. As such, these individuals made up a big section of the early film industry's audience. Many films latched onto the theme of immigration to personalize the character's stories in various ways and appeal to the movie going public."
Abstract This paper examines the processes and sub-processes of assimilation. It looks at how sociologist, Milton M. Gordon, viewed assimilation as a collection of sub-processes emphasizing three main processes: cultural;
structural; and marital assimilation. It focuses on cultural, structural, and marital assimilation between African-Americans and Mexican-Americans in Texas and New York, as represented by 1990 and 2000 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.
From the Paper "Oppression has been a part of the patchwork of American history since the nation's inception, leading to a fairly paradoxical culture in which equality and justice are theoretically cherished at the same time they are questionably practiced, and also in which a legacy of xenophilia, or the welcoming of immigrant contributions to the larger culture, has been mixed with a seemingly contradictory legacy of xenophobia and oppression of minority and immigrant groups. As the result of this historical legacy of oppression, members of a minority group such as African-American and Mexican-American cultures may, over the course of time, internalize the low self-image of themselves that has been traditionally projected by the dominant group as a justification for its oppressive policies."
Abstract This paper examines how Haitian immigration to the United States has increased in recent years in spite of the efforts of successive political administrations in the United States to restrain and turn back the flow. It evaluates how there are a wide variety of factors combined to cause difficulties for immigrant Haitian adolescents in American schools and how the attitudes of Haitian students toward the value of education with respect to their own futures often creates significant barriers between the students and the schools. It proposes a study to investigate the effects of a bilingual curriculum content on problems incurred by Haitian high school students.
Outline
Introduction
Statement of the Problem
Purpose of the Study
Research Questions
Hypotheses
Overview of the Remainder of the Study
Review of the Literature
Self-Concept
Assimilation Ethnocentrism
Language
Stratification of Educational Outcomes
Methodology
Research Design
Subjects
Instruments
Procedures
Data Analysis
From the Paper "In addition, fear of failure, an absence of motivation, poor self-concept, and related stress-producing factors long have been associated with the development of anxieties and stresses that manifest themselves in behaviors such as academic and social behaviors that, in turn, lead to poor academic performance (Senecal, 1995). Rubenzer (1990) contended that school-related stress is the most prevalent untreated cause of academic failure. Fear of failure produces stress that in turn manifests itself as anxiety that leads to substandard academic performance (Griffin & Griffin, 1998). Poor self-concept and self-esteem contribute to a fear of failure. Thus, it is important to identify strategies for immigrant adolescent Haitian students that will foster in such students the will to work and excel in school."
This paper evaluates the factor of home-ownership, concentrating on the areas of Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco to determine the degree of assimilation by Chinese-Americans.
Abstract This paper explains that a theory of assimilation states that home ownership trends correlates with other assimilation-related variables such as English proficiency, concentration of Chinese migrants in surrounding residential areas and other human capital indicators such as income and education level. The author points out that, while speaking English well in general elevates one's home-ownership probability, Chinese households that speak English only at home appear to be at a disadvantage relative to those that speak multiple languages in the home. The paper concludes that Chinese immigrantassimilation is not related to housing and follows a vastly different assimilation model, in both indicators and time scales, than other migrant groups.
From the Paper "The 2002 U.S. Census Bureau reported that the population that identified themselves as Chinese surpassed 2.7 million, making them the largest Asian group in the United States. The Chinese population has had a deeply rooted and often turbulent immigrant history in the U.S., as a prior exemption from anti-immigration acts ended in 1882 with the Chinese Exclusion Act specifically denying Chinese immigrants any chances of naturalization. However, with the Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments of 1965 revoked ethnic origin immigration laws. And after long decades of slow growth under tight constraints, Chinese immigration exploded and brought a new, and very different, group of immigrants to America's shores. A wave of skilled workers and family members entered the country and effectually eliminated the old quota system. As a result, the Chinese American population in the U.S. almost doubled within ten years."
Tags: ethnoburb, probability, english, correlation, theory
Abstract An examination of David Nasaw's "Children of the City" which is a study of the children of immigrants whose primary playground and place of employment was the streets of American cities. Nasaw covers the period 1900-1920 and the working-class children whose employment was not based on desperate need, but who did not have the complete leisure that middle class children possessed. It shows that Nasaw's principal thesis is that the experience of these children was overwhelmingly positive as they set up systems of rivalry and cooperation in their neighborhoods, frequently mixed with children of various ethnic backgrounds, learned numerous skills that would be essential to their futures, and assimilated to the American scene at a great rate.
From the Paper "Nasaw begins with a description of the face of the new city of this era: electric lighting; elaborate department stores; restaurants and theaters that catered to the middle class; afternoon editions of newspapers; the nickelodeons and motion picture houses; and, family-oriented vaudeville. All of these innovations had in common the improvement of consumption and, as Nasaw shows, much of the change that took place at the time--especially in this generation of children, was the elevation of consumption to a right or a duty. At the same time, however, the rapid increase in land prices in nearly every growing American city meant that recent immigrants and the rest of the working and poor classes "were forced to live in spaces that should have remained uninhabited" (10). The terrible conditions of dark, airless tenements--with whole families occupying single rooms for the night while they rented out the remainder of their space to others--disappointed many new arrivals. But, in vivid contrast, new arrivals marveled at the differences in such things as the amount of meat that was consumed, the availability of fresh produce in winter, and the presence of canned foods. And, of course, they also saw the display of wealth in every other part of the city."
Abstract The paper looks at how Alexis de Tocqueville describes France and the United States and the political and civic situations found in each. The paper utilizes the readings of Max Weber to define terms such as migration, assimilation and citizenship. The paper compares and contrasts the situations in France and the United States and concludes that France has a much more progressive approach to immigration than America.
From the Paper "Perhaps no foreign observer has better captured the unique nature of the civic and social life of the United States than Alexis de Tocqueville - and none, certainly, is better-equipped to offer an analysis of both the United States and France with regards to their respective political and civic milieus. De Tocqueville writes that the elective institutions and vigorous politics of America bind together men (and women, although de Tocqueville was writing before women had the franchise in the United States) in a sort of common servitude to each other and to the greater good; by comparison, nineteenth century France was a society, in the Frenchman's view, which impugned political freedom (here, de Tocqueville may also mean civic duty though it is not clear) as something to be avoided (vol. II, "That the Americans Combat the Effects of Individualism by Free Institutions," 102-105)."
Tags: De, Tocqueville, Weber, natives, assimilation, citizenship, discrimination, identity
Abstract This paper examines and summarizes dozens of research studies about immigrants to Australia in the aftermath of World War II. The paper focuses on the works of social scientists -- primarily sociologists -- regarding the displaced placed persons phenomenon and its impact on Australia. The paper also looks at studies that researched the ability of these DPs to integrate into Australian society -- both at the time and over the long-term. Another study focuses on the corollaries between the DP immigration and later immigration from the Far East and Asia. Finally, the paper looks at research into the Australian governments handling of immigration and immigrant issues.
From the Paper "Post war immigration is discussed briefly in general histories of Australia such as Crawford, Shaw and Ward. In these surveys, the reasons for Australia new immigration policy are discussed briefly, with some mention of the Displaced Persons Scheme, but in no great detail. The first thorough archival research work on the topic was conducted by Andrew Markus and in 1984 he published two articles in Labour History, the first concentrated on the development of post war immigration policy. Markus argued that prior to World War II, the Australian Labor Party opposed governmentally sponsored immigration plans on the grounds that an increased work force would strengthen the bargaining position of employers. During and immediately following the war, however, Labor endorsed immigration as a means of securing Australia's ability to defend itself and to develop the nation's resources. The second article specifically examined the Displaced Persons Scheme. Markus discussed the origins of the scheme, the reasons for its expansion and government attempts to gain the support of unions , the media and the general public. A feature of Markus's work is his detailed use of the Department of Immigration files. Markus pioneered the use of this important archival resource. Markus's articles were followed by longer studies in the late 1980s. In 1988 Glenda Sluga's work on Bonegilla was published."
Abstract This paper focuses on the urban immigrant in the United States. It further discusses the sociological aspects of the urban immigrant. The paper discusses the issues of industrialization, culture, assimilation within society, the loss of jobs and discrimination against native minorities in the United States. It also discusses the changing sphere of sociological beliefs in relation to urban immigrants.
From the Paper "The lives of immigrants in the United States, and how those lives relate to the American society, is dependant upon several factors that culminate before and after arrival in this country. Sociologists perceive that there is a difference in an immigrant's survival in the United States if they elect to come here, or if they were brought here by force because of issues that were life threatening, or placed in exile by their homelands. The possibility of success for immigrants is further weighed against factors such as education, ability to speak English, connection to family, and the economic resources available. With the greatest number of immigrants to the United States selecting urban areas as home, these factors become significant within American cities."
Abstract The first part of the paper examines early studies regarding the concept of melting pot and its effect on the early immigrants, particularly those from Europe. The second part then studies the experience of the new wave of immigrants who arrived since the 1960s, focusing on people from Asia. The last part of the paper then examines why the "melting pot" theory has failed to provide a uni-cultural America, in both instances.
From the Paper "In their seminal book Beyond the Melting Pot, Nathan Glazer and Daniel Patrick Moynihan posited that an "assimilating power of American society and culture operate(s) on immigrant groups"to make them?something they had not been.? This is the crux of the melting pot theory, where people of various ethnicities and cultures get swished together into the larger cauldron of American-ness. However, the authors themselves acknowledge that after decades of assimilation, ?the point of the melting pot is that it did not happen.? "
