Home » Posts tagged 'assimilation'
Tag Archives: assimilation
Diversity Actually Communicates: Domestic Intercultural Competence
By Mari D. González
Inter-ethnic relations have been taboo in the U.S. because assimilation has been expected from immigrants and minorities. Assimilation has mainly occurred among people from countries with less cultural and linguistic distances (Anglo-Saxon, Ireland, France)—for whom the term expatriates are used—or among people who are not seen as “others.”
In the last decade due to fast technological advancements such as the Internet, social media, and cell phones, many immigrants are not assimilating. While there is a great level of acculturation to the American way of doing business—mostly by college graduates, immigrants and ex-pats bring and keep their own worldviews, perspectives, and values representative of their first language and culture of origin.
Minorities in the U.S. who live in silos have strengthened their diversities. The more an ethnic group is segregated, excluded, or other-ed, the less it assimilates. Diversity is a positive aspect. It enriches any company, organization, or team. Silicon Valley, Tech Venture Capitalist, Paul Graham explains, “The United States has only 5 percent of the world’s population; it stands to reason that most of the world’s best new ideas will be thought up by people who weren’t born here.”
The challenge is when communication styles clash let alone the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes. It results in misunderstandings, frustration, decreased productivity, and lower morale. We all have seen this!
Accents and Cultural Identity Formation
By Mari D. González
“I have traveled more than anyone else, and I have noticed that even the angels speak English with an accent” ~Mark Twain
I love accents. I find them intriguing. They tell me that the speaker is bilingual. Accents define people socioculturally and correlate to their upbringing and ethnic, national, or group identity. Some accents are difficult to understand, some are melodious, and some take time to get used to. Our evaluations are subjective and relative to our personal opinions.
I am accustomed to accents. In California, there are immigrants in different professions including medical. I have interpreted for doctors from China and India who are not understood by patients with good second-language English fluency. Such difficulty is due to the patients’ lack of familiarity with people from those countries or perhaps they simply are not as intrigued as I am.
I came across an article written by a Peruvian author who spoke about the need to diminish one’s accent because “having a Spanish accent is seen as a minus.” None of my non-English-dominant colleagues have ever discussed accent reduction. This isolated “accent” perspective does not reflect the overall Latino/Hispanic concern.
Some immigrants demonstrate a greater desire to assimilate than Mexicans. It indicates a desire to fitting in instead of integrating. Mexican-American have a different perception of assimilation and actually oppose it. This opposition might be in response to U.S.-Mexican-specific historical factors.
The background of the current state of Latinos/Hispanics in the U.S. is the Chicano Movement. Whether we agree with it or not, the Chicano Movement is a point in history that precedes where we are now as a cultural group. It defines the second developmental stage of group identity formation called “Conflict.”
The first developmental stage of group identity formation is called “Identification with the dominant culture.” It is a desire to eliminate what makes one different from members of the dominant culture or assimilation. The author’s desire to reduce his accent implies being at this first developmental stage described as having a preference for an Anglo Orientation according to the research by Vasti Torres.
Reading Latino writers such as Rodolfo Acuña, Gloria Anzaldua, Hayes-Bautista, researcher, professor Amado Padilla, and journalist, Gregory Rodriguez help us understand the past and present context of Latino identity in the U.S. and why some people have a desire to assimilate and others to integrate.
Aculturado, Retro Aculturado, y Asimilado
By Mari D. González
El aculturado vive en dos mundos, el del país donde creció—su cultura de origen y donde vive–su cultura de residencia—por ejemplo, Shakira.
El retro aculturado está más empapado de la cultura de residencia pero tiene interés en aprender la cultura de sus padres o abuelos, por ejemplo, Eva Longoria.
El asimilado es quien de tantas generaciones ha perdido conexión con la cultura de origen de sus padres o abuelos. Socio-culturalmente funciona mejor en un solo mundo—el de residencia, por ejemplo, Jessica de Alba.
La nueva generación de Latinos en EEUU tiene el privilegio de poder operar simultáneamente en la cultura de residencia y la de origen. Puede estar en constante contacto con familiares y amigos del país de sus padres.
* Image by Frank Mckenna on Unsplash
Acculturation Is Not Assimilation
By Mari D. González
Assimilation is a process in which people with a different culture of origin completely adapt to the culture of residency, leaving behind traits from their culture of origin. That has been the expected social standard in the U.S. for all immigrants. Latinos have not and will not completely assimilate, culturally, that is.
Latinos and Americans are “acculturating” to each other by borrowing traits and merging cultures as a result of prolonged contact. Acculturation and assimilation are two different terms and should not be used interchangeably.
IXMATI 