Page 310 - Sociology and You

280
Unit 3 Social Inequality
Section 2
Racial and Ethnic Relations
Section
Section
Patterns of Assimilation
Generally, minority groups are either accepted—which leads to as- similation—or rejected—which leads to conflict. Within these two broad approaches, however, is a wide range of outcomes.
Key Terms
• assimilation
• cultural pluralism
• genocide
• subjugation
• de jure segregation • de facto segregation
Preview
Preview
Patterns of racial and eth- nic relations take two forms: assimilation and con- flict. Patterns of assimilation
include Anglo-conformity, melting pot, cultural plural- ism, and accommodation. Conflict patterns include genocide, population trans- fer, and subjugation.
Anglo-conformity has been the most common form of assimilation in U.S. society.
Assimilation refers to the blend- ing or fusing of minority groups into the dominant society. When a racial or ethnic minority is integrated into a so- ciety, its members are given full partic- ipation in all aspects of the society. Assimilation has taken several forms in the United States: Anglo-conformity, melting pot, cultural pluralism, and accommodation.
What is the most common pattern of assimilation? Anglo-conformity has been the most prevalent pattern of
assimilation in America. Anglo is a pre- fix used to indicate an American of English descent. In Anglo-conformity,
assimilation
the blending or fusing of minority groups into the dominant society
traditional American institutions are maintained. Immigrants are accepted as long as they conform to the “accepted standards” of the society. Anglo- conformity is the least egalitarian pattern of assimilation because the immigrant minority is required to conform. By implication, it must either give up or sup- press its own values.
Is America more like a melting pot or a tossed salad? A second pattern of assimilation is the melting pot, in which all ethnic and racial mi- norities voluntarily blend together. Older history textbooks, in describing the immigrant experience in the United States, often referred to a melting pot of cultures. However, there is some question about how much fusing of cultures has really taken place. Instead of a melting pot, many sociologists are now using the idea of a “tossed salad,” in which tradi- tions and cultures exist side by side. The cultures of the Tejanos in Texas and the Creoles of New