Chapter 2.McLemore, S. Dale .Racial and Ethnic Relations in America.

I. 4 Stages in Robert Park’s “Cycle of Race Relations”: 

1. contacts, 2. competition, 3. accommodation, 4. assimilation

II. 8 Subprocesses and 5 approaches in Milton Gordon’s (1964) Model of Assimilation:


                      Anglo
                    Conformity/    Cultural    Separ-

                    Melting Pot    Pluralist   atist
1. Cultural         high/substitute  high/add    low   language,values,norms, behavior, etc.
2. Secondary        high           high        low   represented in jobs, educ, residence, etc.
3. Primary          high           low         low   equal chance friendships outside own group
4. Marital          high           low         low   equal chance marry outside own group
5. Identificational high           high/+2nd   low   identify as American
6. Attitudinal      high           high/pride  low   no racial/ethnic prejudice
7. Behavioral       high           high/recog. low   no racial/ethnic discrimination
8. Civic            high/same      high/peace  low   harmony regarding values, power

A. Difference between primary and secondary assimilation:

1.Secondary: proportional representation of ethnic group in impersonal spheres—occupational, educational, economic, residential, and political

2.primary: close, personal interactions between dominant-group and subordinate-group mem­bers in churches, "social" clubs, neighborhoods, families, and so on.

B. Anglo Conformity Model:Am. culture replaces culture of origin country; hi assim. on all 8 levels. 

C. Melting Pot Approach:culture of ethnic groups and host group blend to create a new culture.

1.Frederick Jackson Turner’s Frontier Thesis (1920):western frontier was blender ofcultures because adapting to harsh conditions required borrowing freely from dif. cultures

D. Assimilationist Cultural Pluralism: Horace Kallen argued ethnic groups need not give up own culture to be 100% American, but free to decide how much ethnic heritage to retain. All should master English language/culture(add,not substitute), & obtain full secondary assim.,but friends/marriages could remain within own ethnicity/race. Identify as American, but can have second identity with own group.

E. Separatism: (1) Anti-assimilationist pluralism: only some in the group master the dominant culture and become bilingual and bicultural.Cultural assimilation takes place by addition rather than by substitution, but it occurs infrequently. (2) low degree of secondary assimilation; education, occupations, places of residence, political participation, recreation, religious observances, and health and welfare activities are separated from those of the broader society (3) Out-group friendships are strongly discouraged (4) Out-marriage (exogamy) is strongly discouraged.Mates are chosen almost exclusively from within the racial or ethnic group.

F. Secession: complete separation, (unlike separatism), such as withdrawal of the southern states from the United States in 1861 and by the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.Not a form of pluralism.

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