I recently published an article at History News Network, which is a terrific site devoted to publishing essays by historians on contemporary topics.
I wanted to share the article with this community, hence this diary. I'll offer a summary version of the piece's main ideas and I hope it will spark some discussion. The full title of the piece on HNN is "We Could Better Integrate New Immigrants Into American Society -- And We Should".
The title sums up the argument nicely (thanks to the editor!), as the article examines both the need to do so as well as strategies that will improve the odds of success. Follow me, if you will, after the jump.
Let me start by pasting the introductory paragraphs.
Levels of immigration not seen for a century have created a feeling among native-born Americans that they have lost control of what American society and culture will look like, and of what American national identity will consist. We need to alleviate these anxieties in order to mitigate the difficulties that new arrivals face. Our society has to devote more resources both to culturally integrating immigrants and making native born Americans more aware of immigrants’ desire to integrate.
Fears about immigration’s effect on American identity lie beneath much of the negativity that immigrants -- especially Hispanics -- face from native-born Americans. Some negativity certainly results from racism. Nevertheless, not all who are concerned about cultural Balkanization in America are motivated by racism. Many want integration and worry that cultural separatism undermines that goal.
I'm arguing that we need to improve communication among native born Americans and immigrants. The key is to get the native-born to understand that immigrants, on the whole, want to do exactly what native-born Americans want them to do, namely learn English, adopt American political ideals and develop a loyalty to the USA.
I specifically criticize nativist demagogues like Samuel Huntington, who wrongly asserts that Hispanic immigrants want to divide our society and destroy our common American identity. I look at survey data (from the Pew Hispanic Center and other organizations) that demonstrate exactly the opposite to be true.
Furthermore, I argue that we don't offer enough opportunities to immigrants, particularly low-income ones, to learn English and take the other necessary steps towards integration so many concerned about cultural Balkanization call on them to take, and which the immigrants themselves want to take.
Finally, I argue that building a coalition to support progressive economic policies require strong ties across lines of ethnicity, race, culture and religion. Such ties are the core of a sense of community among all Americans that can work towards the achievement of progressive goals.
This sense of community makes people in those countries more willing to share resources. Americans, in particular progressives and immigrant advocates, need to encourage integration and the unity across ethnic lines that follows from it for exactly this reason. (snip) Promoting integration leads Americans to see themselves as one people. This means cultivating American nationalism, but a civic rather than an ethnic nationalism, one that promotes unity and support for the common good among Americans rather than negative feelings toward those outside our borders. Nationalism must be not only a tool of the right-wing, nor must the right-wing be allowed to define American nationalism. Nationalism need not be xenophobic; it can be inclusionary, cross-ethnic, and progressive.
I hope you take a look at the whole article here. I look forward to your comments.