Options for ethnic identity
"Options for ethnic identity" refers to the dynamic ways individuals and groups in the United States navigate and redefine their ethnic identities, often influenced by broader societal changes and personal experiences. The U.S., characterized by its pluralistic nature, has seen various immigrant populations modify their ethnic labels as they assimilate into the dominant culture or as a response to changing social dynamics. This relabeling can stem from perceived advantages associated with conforming to the Anglo-conformity model, where immigrants align their identities with Anglo-American cultural traits to enhance their social mobility and acceptance.
For example, Irish Americans historically faced discrimination but gradually integrated into the broader American identity, often intermarrying with other ethnic groups and adopting characteristics aligned with Anglo culture. Similarly, Afro-Caribbean immigrants might distance themselves from the historical experiences of African Americans, opting instead to identify closely with their national origins, such as Jamaican or Bahamian, and emphasizing educational and economic success. This distinction can be a strategic choice in navigating a society with entrenched racial stereotypes, allowing them to carve out their unique identities while negotiating the challenges of a racially diverse landscape. Overall, options for ethnic identity highlight the complexities of cultural assimilation and the personal and collective negotiations that shape identity in a multicultural society.
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Options for ethnic identity
The United States is not a static society in which ethnic identities remain the same. Some ethnic groups and some people within certain ethnic groups have opted for new ethnic classifications. Some people receive new ethnic labels whether or not they want them. There are two reasons for this relabeling. First, the United States and similar pluralistic countries such as Canada have increased their populations by accepting immigrants from a vast variety of cultures and nations. As these immigrants succeeded financially, politically, and socially in the receiving country, their cultures were changed or they attempted to change their group or personal cultures. Cultural change meant ethnic identity changes. Second, the mythology regarding the characteristics of a stereotypical American persuaded many immigrants to opt for cultural characteristics that reflected this myth. The myth was largely formed about English-oriented cultural traits or what is colloquially called Anglo culture. Immigrants have perceived that there are advantages to being as American or Anglo as culturally possible. This is called the Anglo-conformity model, in which people and groups are subtly encouraged to accept these characteristics if they want economic, social, and political success. Two groups from two different racial identifications are examples of these options for ethnic identity.
The massive waves of Irish immigrants to the United States in the nineteenth century resulted in widespread discrimination against them. However, Irish people had several advantages: They were needed for manual labor; they were Catholic but had a strong sense of separation of church and state; and they formed influential institutions, such as political organizations, that helped make them social powers in the larger society. They were also White. Increasingly, Irish people in the United States married non-Irish, so that by the 1960s, more than half of Irish American men married women from other ethnic groups. By the 1990s, it was difficult for census workers to determine who could be categorized as Irish because so many Irish Americans considered themselves to be fully American and to have the same cultural characteristics as English Americans. They had risen socioeconomically from what had been termed “shanty Irish” to “lace-curtain Irish” seeking social acceptance, and then to Americans whose original characteristics had been superseded by conforming to Anglo models. They had opted for a differing ethnic identity.
A second example of ethnic options is taken by many Afro-Caribbean immigrants to the United States. Those from English-speaking nations often conform culturally to the American myth of the United States being a land of unusual opportunity if one is educated properly and willing to work diligently. These immigrants may perceive African Americans as rejecting this opportunity and may attempt to distance themselves from Black Americans and not want to be perceived as being similar to them. They may even reject the idea of race, claiming that national ethnic characteristics are a person’s identity rather than physical traits associated with race. Black Caribbean immigrants interpret this distance as an advantage to them. They do not always choose to associate with the oppressed history of African Americans, their culture, or their racial self-identification. Instead, they opt to identify as Jamaican Americans or Bahamian Americans or others who share English or Anglo values and who expect to succeed in the receiving country without being racially stereotyped. Afro-Caribbeans have often achieved a higher social status than African Americans with educational levels and family income levels surpassing those of African Americans in many cities. By distinguishing their ethnicities from the African American ethnicity, they may negotiate better social statuses in a White-dominated society.
Bibliography
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