Tue 18 Jul 2006
Culture Clash? Contesting Notions of American Identity and the Effects of Latin American Immigration
Posted by matt under academicTitle:“Culture Clash? Contesting Notions of American Identity and the Effects of Latin American Immigration”
Journal:Perspectives on Politics, Vol. 4, No. 2, June 2006, pp 279-287
Authors:Luis R. Fraga and Gary M. Segura
“In this essay, we use Huntington as a jumping off point. We first examine the question of immigration and threats to national identity within the history of American political development.We consider what current and potential challenges the United States faces as it accommodates population shifts and prepares for a future where Caucasians are a far smaller proportion of the national population than may ever have been the case in our history. Further, we compare the relative abilities of Anglos and Latinos to shape that future, and whether and how those power inequalities inform competing claims regarding resistance to assimilation, cultural segregation, and national disunity. Finally, we offer some thoughts on how America might cope with its demographic evolution without resorting to xenophobia, isolationism, or cultural nationalism.”