WMST 307 - Yanni DelValle - Assimilation

Assimilation as defined by our textbooks as "the sometimes forced integration of an immigrant or subordinate group into the dominant culture of the host community through the absorption of the host’s cultural practices and history." (O'Brien & Szeman, 353) This is a complete generalization of the meaning of assimilation. It doesn’t accurately depict the context of the word and the sub-headings that come under the term. When thinking of assimilation, the thought is usually immigration and though immigration is incorporated into assimilation, it is an entirely different concept. But to look at assimilation further we have to include these sub-headings, which consist of linguistic, cultural and social assimilation.

But it isn’t surprising that the definition is quite vague because nowadays it is seen that assimilation is not current within today’s society. "While it was once the unquestioned organizing concept in sociological studies of ethnic relations, in recent decades assimilation has come to be viewed by social scientists as a worn-out theory which imposes ethnocentric and patronizing demands on minority peoples struggling to retain their cultural and ethnic integrity." (Alba & Nee, 826-27) Yet, even more so today, assimilation is widely regarded in order to be accepted into mainstream culture.

The concept of the ‘melting pot,’ which derived from J. Hector St. John Crevecoeur in 1782, is a metaphor for a society becoming more homogenized to create harmony. "The concept of the melting pot later expanded to include people from different races and backgrounds, as it became one of the cornerstones of assimilation theory. The model of the melting pot offers an idealistic vision of U.S. society and identity, combining people from diverse ethnic, religious, political, and economic backgrounds together into a single people." (Parrillo, 576) This concept is not only carried out in the United States but is prominent in most westernized cultures.

Assimilation is a very broad term and the lines between the different contexts cannot be blurred. As much as we want to believe that we accept different cultures, languages, classes, there is a huge expectation to blend into the dominant culture.

Alba, Richard, and Victor Nee. "Rethinking Assimilation Theory for a New Era of Immigration." International Migration Review 31.4: 826-74. Web. <http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/stable/pdfplus/2547416.pdf?acceptTC=true>.

O'Brien, Susie, and Imre Szeman. Popular Culture: A User's Guide. 2nd ed. Ontario: Nelson Education, 2010. 353. Print.

Parrillo, Vincent. Encyclopaedia of Social Problems. Ontario: SAGE Publications, 2008. 576-77. Web. 4 Dec. 2012. <http://knowledge.sagepub.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/view/socialproblems/n348.xml>.