Professor Jones Dept. of Political Science UC-Davis Fall 2009 POL 168 Politics

Acculturation and Assimilation What is it? Why might it be important? Do the changing demographics we have observed raise questions about what constitutes “an American?” These are real questions that spark major debate.

YouTube Clips Census Bureau PSA Footage from Immigration Rally (2006) compiled by anti-immigration group: Public Testimony in Prince William County, VA More from Virginia related related

Acculturation Fear and the Huntington Thesis Samuel Huntington Leading scholar of the 20 th Century The Third Wave The Clash of Civilizations Who Are We (2004) The last book is where article comes from. The Huntington Thesis: What is it?

Who Are We? The Thesis “Mexican immigration is leading toward the demographic reconquista of areas Americans took from Mexico by force in the 1830s and 1840s, Mexicanizing them in a manner comparable to, although different from, the Cubanization that has occurred in southern Florida. It is also blurring the border between Mexico and America, introducing a very different culture, while also promoting the emergence, in some areas, of a blended society and culture, half-American and half-Mexican. Along with immigration from other Latin American countries, it is advancing Hispanization throughout American and social, lingusitic, and economic practices appropriate for an Anglo-Hispanic society.” – S. Huntington (2004, p. 221)

Major Arguments Latin American immigration poses a threat to the American creed Why Hispanic? Contiguity: 2000 mile border Scale Illegality Regional Concentration Persistence Historical Presence Texan War Mexican-American War Aztlan? Or the fear thereof.

Aztlán is the legendary ancestral home of the Nahua peoples, one of the main cultural groups in Mesoamerica. "Azteca" is the Nahuatl word for "people from Aztlan."legendaryNahua peoplesMesoamerica

Assimilation Traditional view of immigrants is that they assimilate into the dominant cultural paradigm…the American creed “The Melting Pot” Language Acquisition Proliferation of “English Only” measures Bilingual Nation? Good, bad, possible?

Hispanization Miami “Will the last American to leave Miami, please bring the flag.” Reconquista Names (Social Security Admin) Incentives to assimilate The Americano Dream?

Acculturation Fear Is there ample evidence to sustain Huntington’s argument? Perhaps the real question is this: Suppose many Americans thought in the manner of Huntington’s Argument Might have some testable hypotheses Hate Crimes Anti-immigrant/Latino legislation

Hate Crime Data (FBI)

Implications of all this? The real issue of Huntington’s argument is the “what-if” question. …and the implications of this for Hispanics, particularly immigrants.

Responses to Huntingon Met with widespread controversy, particularly among Latina/o scholars. Testable hypotheses Hispanics should look “differently” on a variety of indicators. Enter Citrin et al

Citrin Response What is assimilation? “To become similar to…” What does this entail? (Discuss!) What are the “markers” of assimilation? What does it mean to you? Does (or should) “assimilation” mean something different now than in previous periods of immigration.

Assimilation: English Language Acquisition Generational differences Fig 1: Citrin et al. (Speak only English OR speak English very well)

Language Use Language Dominance Huntington supposition: refusal or unwillingness to learn English. What are some factors precipitating language acquisition? Education? Age? Local context…Hispanic concentration? Citrin et al’s results…

Language Use Main results in Table 1 Generational effects are strong… But with time-in-country comes education. Note differences across levels of education and generations. Note also the impact of Hispanic Concentration

Other Indicators English only opinion National Identity Patriotism BOTTOM LINE?