Cultural Assimilation

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RESPONSE:

1. What is assimilation?

Assimilation is an intense process of consistent integration whereby individual members of an ethno-cultural group, typically immigrants, or other minority groups, are "absorbed" into an established, generally larger community ((http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_assimilation). Said another way, assimilation is the process by which individuals from one cultural group merge, or "blend," into a second group. The concept of assimilation originated in anthropology and generally refers to a group process, although assimilation can also be defined and examined at the individual level (http://www.enotes.com/public-health-encyclopedia/assimilation).

The process of individual assimilation is facilitated by education, and by conformity to the linguistic and most prevalent cultural norms that are valued within the dominant society. Within the United States, the dominant society (the "Anglo Saxon cultural value system") includes the values of individuality, freedom, democracy, and achievement orientation, efficiency and practicality, and science and technology. Thus, for immigrants coming to the United States, learning English is one of several changes necessary for successfully entering and participating in the social institutions of the dominant culture (http://www.enotes.com/public-health-encyclopedia/assimilation). Thus, in this sense, assimilation offers financial gains to the individual(s).

2. Is there a hidden cost to the individual? Is there a gain or lost?

However, the individual looses many other original 'cultural' characteristics and gains traits associated with the dominant society instead. Assimilation presumes a loss of many individual characteristics, which make the newcomers different. A region or society where assimilation is occurring is sometimes referred to as a melting pot.

Does a loss of cultural identity harm the individual's psyche? There is some evidence to suggest it does in some case. Since assimilation is the state of change, stress is often linked to individual change. For example, when new immigrants enter a country, the surrounding people try to change the immigrants into what their culture or society expects. Sooner or later the immigrants will no longer seem to be immigrants, they will seem to be similar to every one else because of assimilation. For some, this loss of identity is a great grievance, while for others, it is an individual choice and considered at least necessary. However, in other cases assimilation is forced upon a group of individuals, as is usually the case with the receiving "host" group or ...