Protecting Cultural Distinctiveness: The Key to a Thriving Future in America

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Recommended: Cultural diversity chapter 7

Most nations experience some sort of immigration, be it from a neighboring nation mired in conflict, or from someone seeking better economic prospects across the globe. Regardless of circumstance, the question inevitably arises about how to deal with these new countrymen. A hotly debated issue for many years, certain corners of American political discourse center around the idea that in order to protect the dominant culture, policies ought to be in place that coerce immigrants to adopt the customs of this, their new home, while abandoning traits distinctive of their place of origin. This reactionary mindset that values assimilation over integration and the preservation of uniqueness of culture is harmful to immigrant groups themselves, and American society as a whole. Rather than attempting to construct a common identity amongst vastly different groups, the behaviors and beliefs that make certain groups different ought to be celebrated and respected, as these differences constitute the true American identity and provide a richness that allows America to continue strengthening.
The issue of immigrants’ rights versus preserving dominant cultural traits in a society has only become more pressing as globalization has increased. This increased globalization has caused mass migration from certain areas of the world, often afflicted with famine, strive and poverty, to the West. As nations tackle these pressing issues and attempt to deal with their new residents, certain questions have to be answered. Are all cultures equal? Do nations have a right to assert the dominance of their culture over those brought in from the outside? Or, rather, do individuals have the right to legally move between nations while preserving their cultural ties...

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...e, et al. "The trouble with assimilation: Social dominance and the emergence of hostility against immigrants." International Journal of Intercultural Relations 34.6 (2010): 642-650.

4. Huntington, Samuel P. Who are we?: The challenges to America's national identity. Simon and Schuster, 2004.

5. Pac, Teresa. "The English-Only Movement in the US and the World in the Twenty-First Century." Perspectives on Global Development and Technology 11.1 (2012): 192-210.

6. Wing, Adrien Katherine, and Monica Nigh Smith. "Critical Race Feminism Lifts the Veil: Muslim Women, France, and the Headscarf Ban." UC Davis L. Rev. 39 (2005): 743.

7. Verkuyten, Maykel. "Social psychology and multiculturalism." Social and Personality Psychology Compass 1.1 (2007): 280-297.

8. "Violence Continues in France over Islamic Veil Ban." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 21 July 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.

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