Cultural Assimilation

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Cultural Assimilation

• By
• Kristin Cameron, Scott Haslam, Alexa MacLean,
  Mwenya Mwansa, Alex Smith

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Alexa
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Purpose

• The purpose of our presentation is to discuss
  the pros and cons of cultural assimilation. Does
  cultural assimilation have a beneficial or
  detrimental effect on society?

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The Question

• Is the cultural assimilation of immigrants and
  visible minorities the only workable public
  policy for a well-functioning national society?

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Thesis

• The principle of cultural assimilation is not the
  only workable public policy in a well-functioning
  society.

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What is Assimilation, you ask?

• Assimilation is the process by which a minority
  is absorbed into the mainstream culture.

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Sociology A Down-to-Earth Approach

• There are two types of assimilation Enforced
  assimilation, which is the when dominant group
  refuses to allow the minority to practice its
  religion, speak its language or follow its
  customs.
• Permissible assimilation, in contrast, permits to
  the minority to adopt the dominant groups
  patterns in its own way and act its own speed.

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Alex
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Enforced assimilationThe bad kind.

• A historical example of assimilation would be
  when First Nations children (who are now known as
  Native Canadians) were forced to attend
  residential schools to become a part of the
  Canadian culture. They often were abused if
  caught speaking their native language or
  practicing their faiths rituals.

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The picture depicts a group of Native and
Canadian children outside of a residential school
during one of their first days at the school.
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This picture shows the after effect of
assimilation on the Native Children. Can you tell
who is who?
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Permissible Assimilation -Its your choice!!

• A good example of permissible assimilation is
  Mexican immigrants who move to the United States.
  They make a conscious choice to move to America
  to start a new way of life. The United States
  border is highly secured because of the amount of
  illegal immigrants trying to cross the border
  every day.

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Jessica Alba!
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Now what do you think Jessica Alba could
possibly have to do with Assimilation?

• A lot, actually.

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Coming to America and refusing to follow
American laws and customs, and refusing to
integrate with American society, translates into
disrespect for what America is and stands for. 
And as jingoistic fantastically patriotic as it
may sound, I just dont think people like that
should be allowed to enter our country. Jessica
Alba

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• As you may have already noticed, Jessica Alba is
  pro-assimilation. Her quote above shows the
  effects of assimilation on an immigrant to
  American society. This is very hypocritical of
  Jessica since her father is of Mexican heritage.

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Kristin
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There must be something good about assimilation,
right!?

• Although Canadas history includes unfortunate
  examples of assimilation there are still
  advantages to the policy of assimilation!

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Pros of Assimilation

• Increased immigration means that ethnic groups
  with different religions, backgrounds and
  practices must try to get along.
• Cultural and value differences are a potential
  source for conflict.
• It is imperative that these histories do not
  become part of the Canadian fabric.

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Pros continued

• Ethnic identity refers to identification of
  oneself as belonging to/feeling part of an ethnic
  and cultural community.
• Visible minorities are especially likely to be
  targets of prejudice and discrimination.

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Basically

• The belief is that racism becomes less frequent
  due to assimilation...
• If you assimilate, you dont segregate

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Furthermore

• By 2016 it is estimated that visible minorities
  will likely comprise close to 20 of the adult
  population and 25 of the children population of
  Canada.

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What will happen to Canadas national identity????
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Scott
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THE OTHER SIDE

• No, no we dont mean the other side. We mean
  the other side to assimilation -
• Multiculturalism.

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Multiculturalism

• Multiculturalism, also known as pluralism, is a
  philosophy or political policy that permits, or
  even encourages, racial and ethnic variation.

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Multiculturalism and Some Cons of Assimilation

• Being against assimilation shows that you are
  pro-multiculturalism which is the first step to
  becoming a diverse society.
• Multicultural societies such as Canada or
  Switzerland welcome debate and are very
  understanding of the rest of the world. This
  makes multicultural societies effective
  international mediators which is important in
  negotiation for peaceful conflict resolution.
  This diversity has taught such nations to accept
  and respect the diverse views of others.

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Some More Cons of Assimilation

• Knowledge-based economies such as Canadas
  operate best in a competitive global marketplace
  where every mind matters. The more people who
  contribute, the more money can be made.
  Multiculturalism encourages all members of a
  society to take part in the economy. Therefore,
  to protect this economic prosperity, racism must
  be eliminated.

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Cons, (again) Through Statistics!

• 2006 HDI Ranking
• 1. Norway
• 2. Iceland
• 3. Australia
• 4. Ireland
• 5. Sweden
• 6. Canada
• 7. Japan
• 8. United States
• 9. Switzerland
• 10. Netherlands
• Green countries are multicultural red countries
  are not.

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What is the HDI?

• The Human Development Index measures a countrys
  levels of health, knowledge and decent standard
  of living. (extend on cue cards)
• Seven of the top ten countries, including the top
  six overall, have multicultural national policies.

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Some More Cons of AssimilationWhat We Think!

• Assimilation takes away a societys
  individuality. It creates a false sense of
  community and does not appreciate the differences
  in peoples cultures and beliefs. Norms and
  morals are also subject to assimilation by the
  means of changing the way people approach things.
  If a persons morals do not agree with the
  societys in general, it is hard for a person to
  feel that they are unique.

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Now on to
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Mwenyas Corner!!!!

• I am going to talk about my learnings,
  experiences and observations on multiculturalism
  in Canada compared to other non-multicultural
  Countries, based on the one year I have been
  here.

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About me!!

• First of all, I should mention that I come from
  a heterogeneous cultural country called Zambia
  which is located in the southern part of Africa.
  Zambia has 73 languages with diverse cultures and
  it has also been a safe haven for people seeking
  refuge from neighboring countries in the region,
  especially where there has been civil strife.

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A first hand account

• The practice of multiculturalism in Canada has
  and is still playing a big role in helping me
  with my settling because I have been well
  accepted into the community and this has given me
  a sense of pride. For this reason I have been
  able to focus more on my education and other
  personal issues. If I were in other countries
  like the United States, that not only encourage,
  but also practice cultural assimilation, my focus
  would have drifted away from more important
  things like education and focused more on trying
  to fit in the society.

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• For example- wanting fast cash, learning their
  black societys type of slang language, wearing
  bling, wanting to be rap star and other things
  they do in their society that they portray to the
  world generally referred to as the American
  Dream.
• Such little things have really given U.S.
  immigrants and other minority groups the wrong
  picture compared to Canadian immigrants. The
  majority of U.S. immigrants prefer trading
  education and hard work for firm and fast cash,
  while most Canadian immigrants prefer going for
  the education and hard work. Hence, we see low
  crime levels in this country compared to the U.S.
  Well, get me right, I am not saying immigrants
  and minority groups like myself should not adopt
  other cultures and develop characteristics of
  those cultures, but while we learn and adopt
  other cultures, it should be our own personal
  choice instead of being forced on us.

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• Multiculturalism public policy has given me a
  sense of acceptance within the university and the
  community I have lived in for the last year.
  Students, either immigrants or visible minority
  groups like myself integrate easily with other
  students with different cultural backgrounds
  which makes the study environment very conducive.
  This policy does not only benefit the foreign
  students but also local Canadians who also have
  opportunities of learning other cultures without
  having to travel to foreign countries like Zambia.

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• The Multiculturalism policy also allows me to
  keep and defend my cultural values and identity.
  While I disagree with Cultural Assimilation being
  enforced on immigrants and visible minorities,
  one thing I strongly agree with that should be
  enforced on immigrants regardless of status is
  the law. What I mean is that laws and regulations
  of this country should be enforceable against
  anyone residing in Canada at the time of
  committing any offence. Like in my country, all
  citizens, residents and immigrants are required
  to abide by the law because we all live by the
  law and, once broken, justice must prevail.

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Conclusion- Were almost done!

• After exploring both assimilation and
  multiculturalism we have completed our answer to
  the original question.

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Lets recap

• Is the cultural assimilation of immigrants and
  visible minorities the only workable public
  policy for a well-functioning national society?
• Overall, assimilation is not the only workable
  policy for a well-functioning national identity.

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Our opinion

• We believe that multiculturalism, the other
  side of assimilation, is a much more effective
  policy.