To Assimilate or Not to Assimilate: That is the Question

Go to any major North American city. Here's what you'll find: densely populated pockets of almost any ethnic group on Earth. Congregations of like-cultured people huddled together in an attempt to retain some semblance of their lives, pre-immigration. Now turn your attention to certain European cities, and you'll find something almost exactly the opposite. Immigrants weave themselves into their host country's culture, no questions asked. They quietly adopt their new customs and, in some cases, language, in a sort of "when in Rome..." environment.

So which is better? Is it preferable to seek out your fellow countrymen and band together, sharing experiences and recipes, business and burdens, staying true to your country of birth? Or should you adopt your new culture and try to make nice with the natives?

Of course, there is no answer to this query. While some say it is more respectful to blend in as an immigrant, others think this will only lead to a monotonous culture and a general oversight of the variety that diverse immigrant cultures can add to a host country.

Take, for example, San Francisco. A large American city quilted together by a patchwork of so many different cultures that it can't really be claimed by any one ethnic group, not even, strangely enough, Americans. Sushi and sake abound in a thriving Japantown, the Mission district houses the most delectable Mexican food, and there is an area where delicious and authentic Russian delicacies can be purchased, though one would be hard-pressed to find any of these outside of their respective neighbourhoods. An immigrant from China can settle here, work here, marry here and die here and never leave the confines of Chinatown. Therein lies the argument that perhaps assimilation would better serve immigrants who find themselves in a strange setting. Perhaps they would feel more comfortable if they shed their old habits and routines and appropriated this new way of life, and perhaps then they could truly make this new country home.

There is, however, a certain danger in doing so. Take Paris, an example of a city that encourages assimilation. The immigrants, while they may choose to live near one another, do not, generally speaking, keep a firm grip on their native culture, let alone enlist their new hosts to accept it. While this will undoubtedly allow the immigrant population to learn the customs of their new home, it will not necessarily open up the current inhabitants to this fascinating addition to their country.

Whether immigrants choose a city in which they can hold on to their native customs by building a mini version of their homeland or one in which they are expected to cultivate an affinity for their new culture, the real responsibility should lie with us--those who welcome them across our borders. Whether through assimilation or acceptance, our duty lies in facilitating a world in which we can all coexist.