Minority-Group Responses On Minority's Identity

C. In recent decades, the majority of immigrants have come to America seeking economic prosperity and more opportunities. However,

When most immigrants move into America, they are greeted with much tension and conflict. There is still some discrimination between races, as much as American’s

The United States has been a host to a wide diaspora of people. Immigrants have had to transition from their familiar land to a new-fashioned foreign land that they must consider home. They bring with them the essence of their initial homeland such as customs, traditions and beliefs that inadvertently change the dynamics of culture within the United States. As a result the United States is an extremely culturally diverse nation. The continual changes or accretions that Americans encounter have always been a controversial topic depending on the experiences of individuals and communities that have immigrant populations. This essay will critically explore

Every individual, no matter who they are, will all face challenges that result from their backgrounds and cultures. Born in Calcutta, India and later moving to the United States, Amin Ahmad was an individual who discovered this harsh truth first-hand. In his essay, “I Belong Here,” Ahmad reflects on his experience of being treated differently from those around him based off his cultural background. He analyzes the emotional barrier that forms between the journey of immigration and the continuous feeling of inferiority based solely on the desire to belong. The article is written to provide a different point of view; one focused on introducing to the world the challenges and emotions immigrants face after starting the journey towards a new life.

It is expected that ultimately there will be a loss of ethnic distinctiveness for immigrants in the U.S., meaning the lack of attachment to the country of origin. (Golash-Boza, 2006) It is argued that all ethnic distinctiveness will no longer exist by the seventh or eighth generations. Before exploring the influence of foreign born vs. U.S. born parents on their children’s cultural assimilation; the different theories of assimilation will be explored. The idea of Assimilation came about in the early 20th century. (Golash-Boza, 2006) Assimilation is surrounded by two theories, the first that all immigrants will assimilate sooner or later and that the generational status of the individual is one of the main factors in determining the

In the United States, the cliché of a nation of immigrants is often invoked. Indeed, very few Americans can trace their ancestry to what is now the United States, and the origins of its immigrants have changed many times in American history. Despite the identity of an immigrant nation, changes in the origins of immigrants have often been met with resistance. What began with white, western European settlers fleeing religious persecution morphed into a multicultural nation as immigrants from countries across the globe came to the U.S. in increasing numbers. Like the colonial immigrants before them, these new immigrants sailed to the Americas to gain freedom, flee poverty and

With the social dimension, successful integration would mean living alongside the population without fear of systematic discrimination, intimidation, or exploitation by the authorities or the people of the country (Friedman, November 8th, 2016). The implication of social mobility has long lasting impact on undocumented Americans. Many immigrant youths with undocumented status saw being open with their peers regarding their immigration status as a threat to their standing in social groups at school and within the broader community. In order to make their life seems as normal as possible and avoid situations where they could be excluded, many college-goers keep their undocumented status a secret from friends. Many of the respondents in Lives of Limbo hide their status from their friends because they felt embarrassed and did not want to experience exclusion (Gonzales, 113). The negative discourse about Latino immigrants also take a toll on the routines and activities of undocumented American. The racial constructions of Mexicans as criminals caused immigrant youths to repel this stigma by concealing their undocumented status (Gonzalez, 109). When they were young, they had inclusionary access; however, once they become young adults, they are denied of participation in many institutions of mainstream life. Even if they discover their status at a young age, they would still conceal it due to the fear of deportation. Many state and local government are turning police officers into de facto immigration agents to crack down on undocumented immigrants and those who provide them jobs and housing (Ewing,7). This stigmatized identity leads to social exclusion, which also prevents these undocumented Americans from integrating into the US mainstream. They feel out of place and unwelcoming by their peers if their undocumented status is known by their friends and community. Integration is a

Issues revolving around immigration are dominating the current political debate. In addressing these issues, politicians and other elected officials are forcefully orchestrating the way that immigrants become to know and embrace American culture, thus a crucial part of assimilation. Current practices of assimilation rely on dated research that stresses the importance of jobs, education and language immersion. However, as stated by Mary C Waters, there is a “disconnect between the public debate and findings of scientific research” (11). This disconnect stems from the fact that the practices that once worked for the first generation immigrants are not effective for the new so called second generation. Alejandra Portes and Mihn Zhou in “Should Immigrants Assimilate” and Mary C Waters in “Debating Immigration” address the weaknesses as well as strengths of modern day assimilation in their writings.

Many immigrants come to the United States in pursuit of opportunity, however they struggle to adopt the dominant culture’s language, which limits the job opportunities available to them. Historically, immigrants assimilated by having to learn dominant language, but this challenge led them to create ethnic enclaves that make them feel more welcomed. Many enclaves in the United States, for example the Latino population in San Francisco’s Mission District, give a sense of comfort and nostalgia of home because people from that community have similarities to their homeland. Newcomers do not need to step out of their enclave because they have all the support they need in their communities. Although many immigrants come to the United States in hope of opportunity, they are limited to achieving and moving forward because of their ethnic enclaves. Because these enclaves do not allow them to expand into different cultures, they are limited both socially and economically.

The increasing accommodations directed toward immigrant culture worries many Americans. Americans fear the special treatment granted to immigrants will affect the unifying force of the country. Today, the trend is toward multiculturalism, diversity and adapting the newcomer, rather than on the newcomer adapting himself or herself to a diverse society (61).

The question of identity is always a difficult one for those living in a culture or group, yet belonging to another. This difficulty frequently remains in the mind of most immigrants, especially the second generations who were born in a country other than their parents. Younger generations feel as if they are forced to change to fit the social standards despite previous culture or group. Furthermore those who wish to adopt a new identity of a group or culture haven't yet been fully accepted by original members due to their former identity.

Sociologists have pointed to second-generation immigrants feeling trapped between their parent’s heritage and the new world of their birth. Bianca Bersani calls it the “dark side of assimilation”, and posited an alternate theory that “…second generation immigrants are catching up with the rest us” (Bersani, 2014).

The idea of the United States is to be a “melting pot” for different cultures. However, the outcome is more paradoxical in the sense of immigrants isolating themselves to maintain their sense of culture. For instance, my sense of place

The problem however and the main reason why social integration has been so difficult is because people view immigrants as legal or illegal immigrants. This alone is not enough and there is need to view immigrants as not only imported labor but also people with their own history and culture that they desire to preserve (Martin and Beltran, p.15). Multiculturalism and social integration will only become true if immigrants are able to preserve their own identity while at the same time maintaining socio cultural contacts with other cultures. This however is not always the case as both sides selfishly look for ways to benefit themselves. Immigrants live in cocooned societies with minimal contact with individuals from the other communities. The other cultures on the other hand put pressure on immigrants to abandon their culture and origins and adopt the cultures of their new home. This usually fails to end up well making social integration far much

In every society there is always a form of minorities. There are immigrants, indigenous peoples, handicapped people, and in many societies women, etc. In every society there is also a sense of pride for the people who may consider themselves "true Canadians" for example. This is called nation-building. In other words, it allows people to 'build' their identities. The majority and the minority get to experience nation-building. Since the majority has a stronger chance at building an identity the state grants rights to the minority groups so they can also try to form an identity for themselves. The state is making sure to take care of each of its citizens when granting these rights. These rights are granted because there is an uneven playing