ASSIMILATION AND
PLURALISM:
CHAPTER TWO
From Immigrants to White Ethnics
2
ASSIMILATION
•Assimilation
•Process in which formerly distinct and separate
groups come to share a common culture and merge
together socially
•As a society undergoes assimilation, differences
among groups begin to decrease
© SAGE Publications, Inc., 2016
PLURALISM
•Pluralism
•Exists when groups maintain their individual
identities
•In a pluralistic society, groups remain separate, and
their cultural and social differences persist over time
© SAGE Publications, Inc., 2016
ASSIMILATION AND PLURALISM
•Assimilation and pluralism are contrary processes
•Not mutually exclusive
•May occur together in a variety of combinations
•Some groups may be assimilating
•Others are maintaining or even increasing differences
© SAGE Publications, Inc., 2016
TYPES OF ASSIMILATION
•Melting pot
•Americanization or Anglo-conformity
•A precondition for access to better societal
opportunities
•Created conflict, anxiety, demoralization, and
resentment
© SAGE Publications, Inc., 2016
© SAGE Publications, Inc., 2016
THE “TRADITIONAL”
PERSPECTIVE ON ASSIMILATION
¡Robert Park’s “Race Relations Cycle”
lContact
lCompetition
lAccommodation
lAssimilation
THE “TRADITIONAL” PERSPECTIVE
ON ASSIMILATION
•Milton Gordon, Assimilation in American Life (1964)
•Differentiated between:
•Cultural assimilation or acculturation
