Assimilation
As a new immigrant in the US, I find the topic of assimilation very personal, because it relates not only to myself individually, but to my child as well.
Assimilation is defined in the vocabulary as the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another.
For a long time it was considered that the best strategy for becoming a full member of the society for a migrant to another country is assimilation. The distinctive cultural traits of immigrants determined their disadvantaged position in the host society. Therefore, they had to withdraw their cultural characteristics, values, beliefs, religion, ethnic identity and language to become an indistinguishable part of the majority if they wanted to be accepted by the new society. A good example of this kind of assimilation is the integration of Native Americans. Despite the fact that the colonists were the migrants, Native Americans were forced to leave their tribal traditions, to learn English, and to attend the boarding schools.
However, international experience has shown that it is not necessary to give up on migrant’s national identity to feel comfortable in the host community. It would be enough to respect its …show more content…
They are usually too busy earning the money to provide for their families. These people tend to stick with their national community, speak their native language and adhere to their cultural customs, beliefs and values. As a first generation immigrant, I can easily confirm this: though I don’t live in a Russian community, most of my friends are Russian speaking. The primary goal for people like me is to adapt to the new conditions of life; complete assimilation is not the first priority. Modern migrants are mostly coming for work, as I did, and they can easily change the location, in case the working conditions will be somewhere better. Therefore, they have no need to become a real
As a new immigrant in the US, I find the topic of assimilation very personal, because it relates not only to myself individually, but to my child as well.
Assimilation is defined in the vocabulary as the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another.
For a long time it was considered that the best strategy for becoming a full member of the society for a migrant to another country is assimilation. The distinctive cultural traits of immigrants determined their disadvantaged position in the host society. Therefore, they had to withdraw their cultural characteristics, values, beliefs, religion, ethnic identity and language to become an indistinguishable part of the majority if they wanted to be accepted by the new society. A good example of this kind of assimilation is the integration of Native Americans. Despite the fact that the colonists were the migrants, Native Americans were forced to leave their tribal traditions, to learn English, and to attend the boarding schools.
However, international experience has shown that it is not necessary to give up on migrant’s national identity to feel comfortable in the host community. It would be enough to respect its …show more content…
They are usually too busy earning the money to provide for their families. These people tend to stick with their national community, speak their native language and adhere to their cultural customs, beliefs and values. As a first generation immigrant, I can easily confirm this: though I don’t live in a Russian community, most of my friends are Russian speaking. The primary goal for people like me is to adapt to the new conditions of life; complete assimilation is not the first priority. Modern migrants are mostly coming for work, as I did, and they can easily change the location, in case the working conditions will be somewhere better. Therefore, they have no need to become a real