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What Does It Take To Assimilate In America? By Laila Calami

642 Words3 Pages

Cambria Adu July 7th, 2024 Professor Reese Introduction to Sociology. In the article, “What Does it Take to Assimilate in America?” by Laila Lalami, the author digs deep into the meaning of assimilation today in America. The definition of assimilation has changed over time as new groups of immigrants come to America. The official definition of assimilation is when the minority groups (immigrants) take on the different values and norms of the dominant culture (foreign country). In America, immigrants are viewed as assimilation of national identity and assimilation of national principles. Assimilation of national identity is when the dominant culture expects any immigrants that come to their country to sound and look like their culture. This …show more content…

Lalami argues that the meaning of assimilation is adapting to the culture that you moved into. Seeing how there are different cultural places in America, like schools that teach Korean to students, Lalami realized how immigrants aren’t assimilating as she expected. As new cultures and religions were brought to America, people had mixed feelings about how it was spread throughout the country. This evoked hope and fear among people as some people believed America welcomed everyone with their beliefs, while other people believed that due to their culture, they would not be able to assimilate properly. As immigrants continued to move to America with their culture, people started to discriminate against them, which caused different challenges for them as they tried to adapt to their new environment. One of Lalami’s arguments is how immigrants are automatically expected to change their primary culture and adapt to American culture in order to blend in. Even though America claims to be a diverse nation, immigrants are still expected to shape their identity in order to become like other American citizens. This defeats having a diverse nation if other Americans will have to give up part or all of their cultural

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