Question

What is assimilation? Discuss the importance of social assimilation. Discuss immigration and some key challenges that an immigrant might face. What could be some benchmarks through which you can measure immigrant assimilation? What are some challenges that partners in an intercultural marriage may face? What can they do to avoid conflicts and resolve an argument or a disagreement?

Answer 1

Assimilation refers to the process by which a person or ethnic group that constitutes a minority people imitates the culture of the majority population and, when the process is complete, completely abandons its own culture. Thus, the original cultural differences disappear and society becomes a monoculture. For example, immigrant groups or colonized indigenous peoples may abandon their culture, either spontaneously or after religious persecution and coercive measures, called assimilation policies.

A number of immigrant groups were assimilated into American society during the 19th century in what is usually described as a cultural melting pot or Americanization. In this case, the adaptation was not one-way, and largely spontaneous.