Migration is an inevitable phenomenon in the modern globalized world. People, who for some reasons are forced to migrate from their countries into the new ones, are often likely to encounter certain difficulties. Such difficulties are usually caused by the apparent differences in cultures, habits, traditions, and social norms. Anyway, if an immigrant wants to successfully adapt to the host society, he or she should work out a compromise solution. In most cases, immigrants resort to such decisions as assimilation, ethnic pluralism or transnationalism. This paper describes the differences of these three kinds of social adaptation of immigrants.
First of all, it is necessary to understand what do all of the mentioned adaptation methods mean. Previously, in most cases, immigrants resorted to assimilation when they decided to settle permanently. Therefore, in order to make their social integration more complete and to receive the national loyalty of the host society, the level of their cultural assimilation should be high enough. Assimilation allows immigrants get a number of additional rights in case they (immigrants) become citizens. However, the price for obtaining these rights may seem too high for immigrants. Therefore, over time, people have shifted from assimilation to ethnic pluralism.
In fact, ethnic pluralism can not be completely opposed to assimilation. Ethnic pluralism is just a more civilized version of the immigrants` adaptation than assimilation. Both adaptation versions have the common ground: they show respect for the major society`s culture. However, while assimilation means maximum immigrants` dissolution in the host society, ethnic pluralism saves immigrants` cultural identity. It is obvious that ethnic pluralism is built on the principle of mutual respect.
Some immigrants may be called transnational as they develop and maintain family, social, economic and other relations in the country of their current residence, and at home. Transnational immigration contributes into the large-scale globalization. Typically, traditional transnational migrant communities use the inherent potential of the international business. Transnational immigration causes the development of the global transport system, communication exchange and financial infrastructure. Millions of highly skilled and educated professionals with experience in areas related to the development of science, technology, education and business, are transnational migrants who live outside their countries of origin. And thanks to such people there is an exchange of information and knowledge between professionals of the diaspora and their country of origin.
In the end, it should be said that people has always been looking for the best solution for the immigration issues. The most modern solution is transnationalism, which is something like a compromise and evolutionary solutions between the choice of assimilation and ethnic pluralism. In the past, most people were inclined to assimilate in order to become full participants of the major host society. Later cultural assimilation has transformed into ethnic pluralism, which allows to integrate successfully into the host society without losing cultural differences. Today, transnationalism is a real trend among immigrants. So-called "trans migrants" form a movement that aspires to the interconnectedness between people all around the world and to the global co-operation between people. Probably, transnationalism is the best solution for an immigrant because it not only combines a respect for the host society`s values and the preservation of immigrants` cultural differences, but also blurs the boundaries between people. This makes the world more globalized and socialized without unnecessary boundaries and limitations.
Exemplar Essay On Assimilation, Ethnic Pluralism, And Transnationalism For Immigrants To Write After
Type of paper: Essay
Topic: Immigration, Immigrants, Assimilation, Pluralism, Ethnic, People, Society, Host
Pages: 2
Words: 550
Published: 03/08/2023
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