1.1 Strategies and processes of adaptation in immigration

This manuscript has been peer-reviewed, accepted, and endorsed by the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA) as a significant contribution to the scholarship and practice of education administration. In addition to publication in the Connexions Content Commons, this module is published in the International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation , Volume 5, Number 1 (January – March 2010). Formatted and edited in Connexions by Julia Stanka, Texas A&M University.

Strategies and processes of adaptation in immigration

Nicolás Bajo Santos

The numerous studies on migratory flows, the processes of social interaction that entail those who arrive, and the natives of the place use many theoretical models based on a great diversity of terms and almost always bipolar concepts (assimilation-- segregation, integration -- marginalization, acculturation -- cultural pluralism, and crucible of cultures -- ghettos or ethnic enclaves, etc.). Where does this plurality of terms, theoretical concepts, and marks come from and what do they mean? Is it possible to learn the theoretical models elaborated in other latitudes and historical moments to better understand and explain the present migratory phenomenon in Spain? When we speak of “integration” or “interculturalism” are we saying something different from what others call “assimilation” or “melting pot?” As a contribution to these debates, I am going to mention the main theories on immigration elaborated in the United States. These theories have served me in my own investigation about the Dominicans in New York (Bajo Santos, 1994).

The american classic school of assimilation ("americanization")

According to M. Gordon (1978), assimilation to American culture and way of life, or “Anglo-conformity,” has been the United States’ predominant immigration ideology from the colonial days to the second half of the 20 ^th century: this ideology tends to promote racist attitudes. The founding fathers showed concern about the effects massive immigration would have on American democracy and republicanism. Many Europeans who arrived, accustomed to monarchic despotism and determined to maintain their languages, customs, and principles, represented a danger to the pillars of the new nation. On the other hand, throughout the 18 ^th century the nation’s founders saw the advantages of immigration, such as: an increase in population of certain states and territories, colonization of the west, work in the mines, construction of the railroads and channels, and overall contribution to the industrial expansion. In order to these advantages, it was elemental that the immigrants adjusted to their new country.