Assimilation And Acculturation

410 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: The “diversity: three paradigms”

The terms assimilation and acculturation are two very important, and vital concepts in the world of sociology and anthropology. These two concepts describe the cross cultural effects on both minorities as well as majorities in societies that are multi ethnic and multi-cultural in nature. (Difference Between, 2015) This research paper will break down both terms by detailing their differences, and how both of these terms are critical to communicating with newer immigrants who migrate to the United States.
Assimilation is the blending or fusing of minority groups into the dominant society. It is a slow and gradual process. Assimilation is when people of a specific culture learn to adapt and except the ways of the more dominant majority culture. Assimilation has been taking for centuries. The United States of American is perhaps the most diverse country in the world. We welcome people from all walks of life. When an individuals enters this country they are looking for a better way of life. For many people entering the United States it can be a culture shock. For many others they will find their place in our society. When a person from the minority group is indistinguishable from others, it is called Full Assimilation. Assimilation could be spontaneous or forced. In assimilation, the original culture is replaced with the new one. (PEDIAA, 2015) …show more content…

More specifically, acculturation referred to the minority groups’ strategic reaction to constant contact with the dominant group. They posited that immigrant minority groups, when adjusting to a new culture, had a number of possible outcomes as to how they acculturated, which include (1) assimilating with the majority culture, (2) a defensive assertion of the minority culture, (3) a bicultural blending of the two cultures, (4) a bicultural alternation between cultures, or (5) diminishment of each culture. (Hanser,

Show More
Related

  • Coculturation Acculturation

    835 Words  | 2 Pages

    Curtin’s “Coculturation: Toward a Critical Theoretical Framework for Cultural Adjustment” explores the many aspects of cultural adaptation. To enhance the conversation and construct a dialogue that counters that of the status quo, Melissa L. Curtin proposes a theory of Coculturation. Curtin (2010) seeks to “underscore the complex and ongoing processes of identification for all members of a community; to challenge any notion of a static, monolithic target culture; and to foreground that macrolevel sociopolitical and sociohistorical contexts, as well as microlevel social interactional processes, are important in understanding cultural adjustment” (p. 271). This work illuminates the conversation of acculturation and assimilation by combating the hegemonic discourse of traditional theoretical frameworks. According to Curtin, the rhetoric surrounding acculturation in the U.S. commonly “presumes an imagined national host community of a white, monolingual, English-speaking America to which immigrants should quickly assimilate.”

    Read More

  • Cultural Assimilation Of Native Americans And The Europeans During The Seventeenth Century

    589 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cultural assimilation is one’s intention or nation in dominating another group or society. The pace can either be quick or gradual, depending on the community being referred to and from what history can tell, it often leads to dispute from both members of the group to a degree that it often causes war. Assimilation of the Native Americans and the Europeans during the seventeenth century are described as a cruel and a horrific period. As John M. Murrin states “the discovery of America was an evil. Never can the advantages it brought about (no matter how one considers or depicts them) compensate for the harm it has caused.” Although this may be true, the cantankerous and domineering Europeans depended on the economic, political and societal gains from the Natives. However, Europeans attempt to change the Natives beliefs on social issues such as religion and

    Read More

  • Becoming Bicultural

    635 Words  | 2 Pages

    1. Becoming Bicultural is another form of assimilation. It entails people of different cultures borrowing from one another’s culture what they consider right and integrating it within their individual cultures. The United States being a nation of immigrants and due to the recent massive immigration, the country is led to a nationwide struggle with the need to become bicultural, a difficult and sometimes painful process of navigating between ethnic cultures. Some former minority groups are now becoming the dominating group due to their high rate of immigration and high birth rate. The Latino and Asian populations form the largest portion of the leading groups that have literally changed the face of the nation and thus calling in for the need to become bicultural.

    Read More

  • Acculturation of Immigrants

    2500 Words  | 5 Pages

    A. Economic success is not the only kind of success- for the purpose of this paper, prosperity is being isolated to economic success

    Read More

  • Assimilation into the United States

    1819 Words  | 4 Pages

    Immigrants leave their countries in search for a better life and improvement of their situation. There is no singular reason for immigration; motivations range from better economic prospects to political safety. As of late, the number of immigrants living in the United States is an estimated 11 million. Those who immigrate are expected to contribute to the United States culturally, politically, and economically. Yet, full assimilation becomes difficult to achieve when the immigrant is made into “the other” by the country of reception.

    Read More

  • Identity and Belonging in Shanghai Girls and Silver like Dust

    1272 Words  | 3 Pages

    Acculturation and assimilation are treated as complex, multifaceted phenomena. The acceptance of new cultural traits or social associations and retention of traditional cultural traits and social associations are viewe...

    Read More

  • Immigrants and Assimilation into American Society

    1186 Words  | 3 Pages

    Several years ago, America was taught to be a 'melting pot,' a place where immigrants of different cultures or races form an integrated society, but now America is more of a 'salad bowl' where instead of forming an incorporated entity the people who make up the bowl are unwilling to unite as one. America started as an immigrant nation and has continued to be so. People all over the world come to America for several reasons. Most people come to America voluntarily, but very few come unwillingly. For whatever reasons they may have for coming they all have to face exposure to American society. When exposed to this 'new' society they choose whether to assimilate or not. Assimilation in any society is complex. Since assimilation is not simple, people will have negative experiences when assimilating into American society.

    Read More

  • The Perspective Of Race And Ethnicity

    841 Words  | 2 Pages

    Puzzle 2 is looking at feeling versus being a specific ethnic group and what that may mean to an individual. Often times when looking at immigrants who come to the United States we see 1st,2nd 3rd, etc generations who over time go from “being” their ethnic group and “feeling” their ethnic group. What cornell and Hartmann explain as “being” is in a sense experiencing that ethnicity on a day to day basis, speaking the language, cooking the foods even allowing the ethnic group to influence things such as marriage. This is usually experienced by 1st or 2nd generation immigrants. When we start to see “feeling” the ethnic group we see this more commonly amongst 3rd and 4th generation immigrants who may identify with their ethnic group but it 's not a cultural distinction. These individuals may participate in certain holidays, they may say they originate from a certain part of the world but are not allowing their ethnic group to be a part of their everyday life (Cornell and Hartmann pg. 10). The assimilationist perspective would say that over time these individuals have assimilated and taken on a new social

    Read More

  • Patron Saints Of Nothing Assimilation

    930 Words  | 2 Pages

    Merriam Webster defines assimilation as the process of, “[absorbing] into the cultural tradition of a population or group” and is commonly used to describe immigrants who adapt to foreign cultures to better fit in with locals (Merriam-Webster 1). In the novel Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay, the author frequently explores the impacts of assimilation on the relationships of the protagonist Jay. Jay’s father who assimilates into American culture to ensure his multicultural children have a better future. His children have two cultural identities: American and Filipino, but, due to their father’s assimilation, they struggle to understand their Filipino culture. Jay struggles with his self-identity and often feels isolated in his disconnection.

    Read More

  • Immigration And Immigration: The Second Generation Of Immigrants

    886 Words  | 2 Pages

    Assimilation, different from accommodation, implied that the “outsider” group actually came to accept and inter­nalise the values and culture of the native group which usually shows up at second generation of immigrants. They grow up with two different cultures and they will have to face the difference between these cultures and form their own opinion and tendency which may eventually coming out a behavior stander of the combination of two cultures. People in this period will have more individual understanding because they have chance to choose they life they want to live. It also means this period is not only the most important time for assimilation but also the most struggling time. Just as what Eric’s mentioned in “Notes of a Native Speaker”, “Being an ABC certainly affected me another way. It made me feel like something of a greenhorn, a social immigrant”. Most offsprings of immigrants will have the same confusion because they get their early education from their parents, but after experiencing social contacts(generally after they go to school), a new sense of value from the society will refresh their brains. Some people says that these kids are blessed because they have chance to aware two cultures and get benefits from both, but some would say they are cursed to live in a life like this because they have to face so many confusions in a young age. What

    Read More

  • Multiculturalism vs Assimilation

    1552 Words  | 4 Pages

    Multiculturalism vs Assimilation America is a place where many cultures and races co-exist, so there are many different opinions and beliefs. Of course there is bound to be tension and misunderstandings, which unfortunately escalates (in some cases) into violence that we hear about in the media. So what is the solution? Should we all assimilate to one standard or should we recognize our individual cultures and consider ourselves multicultural? The answer is not an easy one to define.

    Read More

  • Cultural Assimilation

    1486 Words  | 3 Pages

    Teske, Raymond H.C., Jr., and Bardin H. Nelson. Acculturation and Assimilation: A Clarification 1.2 (1974): 351-67. Jstor.org. Jstor.org/journals, Feb. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.

    Read More

  • Ecological Contextual Model of Acculturation

    3038 Words  | 7 Pages

    As we may all have once experienced, acculturation is one of the most common part of our lives, either by music, language or habits. In many occasions is more noticeable, but they are still a part of our entire lives. Through my own experiences and some of my classmates we were able to identified this topic in our own lives. I being born in USA but raised in Mexico until I was 16 years old, made my acculturation really clear when I came to this country without any previous knowledge of this language or society. Everything was completely different, but I was able to adapt to a new culture in a small period of time, learning a new language and successfully ending High School. Now that I came to college, I feel that I am going to a new acculturation process, not as harsh or obvious. But leaving and having many Asian friends have been acculturated me to their Asian culture little by little. Everything starts when you put in practice small customs as taking your shoes at the door, eating rice with anything and eating specially with chopsticks. I have been presented to this, and in my opinion have become acculturated to this culture. However, not everyone stories are the same. Lizandro Laverman experienced acculturation more indirectly by his parents experiences. His parents, basically, came to the United States to have a better lifestyle. He himself personally considers himself as an American. Although he is actually 75% Guatemalan and 25% German he considers himself to be 100% American. He also speak fluent in both languages, so the English and the Spanish, but speaks English more than anything. He also feels embraced when as Guatemalan dishes. In general, his parents are only used to a lifestyle that comes from Guatemala as train...

    Read More

  • My Ethnic Identity Essay: This Is Who I Am

    1348 Words  | 3 Pages

    Times are changing and I feel like I am forced to conform to the everyday social norms of America, which makes me feel impuissance. Racial identity, which refers to identifying with a social group with similar phenotypes and racial category, is the only experience that I have with life (Organista, 2010). Racial ethnicity was used to build my self-esteem and to keep me in the dark when it came to how society treats individuals of darker complexion. However, once I left the confines of my family and neighborhood, I was forced to befriend and interact with individuals that had different cultural values and beliefs than me. This experience caused me to learn how to appreciate other racial and ethnic groups and their cultural values and belief. This is an accurate definition, of acculturation because I was able to understand and fit in with individuals different from me, while maintaining my own culture and ethnic identity. Therefore, knowing the importance of my ancestry, while acculturating and developing my own identity was all used

    Read More

  • Adapting to a New Cultural Environment

    1289 Words  | 3 Pages

    At some point in our lives we experience a culture as an outsider by moving from one culture to another.In the world today there are so many different cultures and not one of them is found to be the same.Instead they all have something that makes them unique, whether its language or even the clothes they wear and their behavior as well.The differences they have is what separates them from one another and who ever joins that particular culture must get accustomed to their way of life.In the society today we have many people immigrating to the United States to start a new and better life but what they soon begin to realize is that it’s a whole new world out there and in order to survive they have to get accustomed to the new way of life which is much different from their lives before.

    Read More

More about Assimilation And Acculturation

Open Document