In previous Civic Issues blog posts, I have mentioned the various benefits and drawbacks of cultural assimilation when it comes to both psychological and physical outcomes. When we look back at our history, there is example evidence of various programs and policies that aim at encouraging cultural assimilation. Some of these programs and policies are directly trying to encourage assimilation while others may keep their underlying goal a bit more hidden.
Today, in many developed countries, multiple policies can be found that actually help improve and promote the integration of immigrants and other cultures while allowing them to retain their cultural identities. However, past policies of such countries show the encouragement of total assimilation to the dominant culture. One of the key elements to the total assimilation and integration of an individual into a host country is obtaining citizenship. However, as many people know, obtaining citizenship in any country that you may not have been born in can be an excruciating long, and difficult process. In a country like America, in order to gain citizenship it is required that one must know American history, but the test is only given in English. This can then be argued that citizenship is another way to promote assimilation or encourage the process of total assimilation. My best friend’s father went through his exact process not that long ago, and I vividly remember how she would explain to me just how much her father had to learn and go through to make his citizenship possible. I even witnessed, since I knew her from elementary school, just how much he changed and assimilated to fit more in with the American culture.
Migrant integration can then be measured by three forms of fundamental rights, such as civil, social, and political rights. Civil rights generally concern rights related to individual freedom, social rights concern having a right to a minimum standard of living while also having a fair share of economic welfare, and political rights concern the right to participate in the political decision-making process of a said country. When one or all of these are difficult or seem impossible to achieve, one can argue that that country is participating in promoting cultural assimilation.
We can even take a closer look at ethnic-specific assimilation-promoting policies of the past. Much like the example I used in my previous Civic Issue post on forced assimilation, around the time of World War I many state governments within the United States passed and promoted anti-German language laws. For that time, out of the fear that German Americans may be a fifth column and soil the war efforts, the government decided to begin an intense campaign to assimilate them. For instance, state governments outlawed any school instruction of German language, even at places like private schools. While those German Americans who were already decently, well assimilated were not affected by these anti-German laws, the downside came from those German Americans who were the least assimilated by the time they were put into place. Most of these individuals ended up integrating at a much slower rate than what was perceived to happen, ended up dropping out of school at younger ages, married other Germans and choose German names for their children, and were way less likely to volunteer in the military during World War II.
Our society today has definitely seen a more progressive change away from enforcing and promoting total assimilation. More policies are now in place that tend to favor bringing and sharing more diversity. However, it is still important to understand that past policies and programs can have lasting affects on the future of some individuals that we can still see to this day.
I agree with you that the policies of such countries show the encouragement of total assimilation into the dominant culture because perhaps it is easier to fit into society if we morph into that culture. They do make you learn so much about the country one is trying to obtain citizenship for. For your ethnic-specific assimilation-promoting policy example, I actually did not know that at the time of World War I, several governments within the United States passed and promoted anti-German language laws. It is truly crazy to me that state governments outlawed any school instruction of the German language, even in places like private schools. Even though in today’s society we now see a shift in this to a more progressive change enforcing/promoting total assimilation, it is important to keep in mind that the past policies the United States implemented truly had lasting effects on individuals who are citizens.
I totally agree with your opinion. It is a fact that while strides have been made towards recognizing and upholding civil, social, and political rights as measures of migrant integration, the remnants of past policies still influence today’s assimilation dynamics. This conversation underscores the importance of critically assessing our approaches to cultural integration, ensuring they foster an environment where diversity is not just tolerated but valued. As a student majoring in history, I personally believe that recognizing the mistakes of the past and striving for policies that genuinely support multicultural coexistence is vital for creating more open, diverse spaces that benefit everyone, just as people constantly learning from history.
this blog choice totally tells us the complex dynamics of cultural assimilation and the impact it can have on society and especially individuals. So i totally agree with your opinion on this. Past policies have definietly had an influence on present day integration and the experience of immigrants and we really need to recognize that