Word: assimilationism
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Harvard physics professor Gerald Holton and researcher Gerhard Sonnert discussed in a study group yesterday the assimilation of German refugee children and the factors that contributed to their socioeconomic success in America.
To their surprise, Holton and Sonnert said that the group did not follow the usual model of assimilation, in which immigrants become familiar with the new country’s culture before achieving social and economic success.
“Linear assimilation was not true for this group because although they did really well socioeconomically, they did not assimilate into the mainstream,” said Sonnert, adding that the cultural values retained by the refugees proved “advantageous.”
Though the post-war climate in America was friendly to many job-seeking immigrants, the German refugees were especially successful in their assimilation efforts, Sonnert said. The group boasted greater rates of professional careers and degrees in higher education, compared to the general American population.
Marriage, of course, is not the only path toward assimilation. As the number of North Koreans living in the South has grown, support networks have too. The government has created work and study programs geared toward North Koreans, and churches help by providing practical information and coaching to cope with...