Week 2: Assimilation

In “Assimilation”, Lisa Sun-Hee Park discusses the various ways in which assimilation can be interpreted and carried out in society. She gives examples of different views on the concept of assimilation through quotes from multiple authors and explains how the definition can be seen differently. Park then goes on to describe the assimilation progression for Asian-Americans and how their culture is perceived in America.

Park uses different authors in the beginning of the article on page 14 to define assimilation and create a base from which her main argument of asian american assimilation can branch off of. This includes quotes from Du Bois (p.14) and Robert E. Park (p.14).

Assimilation was the one major key term in this article as announced by the title. Park made it clear with the introduction of multiple views from other officers that assimilation is not a clear term to define. It can be adapted and interpreted in many different ways. According to Du Bois (p.14), it is required for their to be a white race in order for assimilation to take place as other races are absorbed into it. Robert E. Park (p.14) was also quoted saying that assimilation is an inevitable part of society, just that there are certain barriers which hinder it.

This article connects with the documentary we watched in class about the Forbidden City. In the documentary it was clear that in the U.S. you must conform to american standards and customs to become successful which is essentially a form of assimilation. The dancers in the documentary all came from asian or oriental backgrounds where they were raised to behave a certain way and act very reserved, but in order to be successful in the nightclub and dancing business in america, they had to become much more risque to appeal to an american audience. In order for many immigrants in general to make a living in America, they must adapt their culture in a way that’s appealing to Americans which becomes an indirect form of assimilation.

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