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Cultural Assimilation – Meaning, Process, and Workplace Impact

What is cultural assimilation?

Cultural assimilation is the process by which people or groups of one culture lose some or all aspects of their own identity in the process of adopting the behavioural patterns, values, and norms of another given dominant culture. This can happen spontaneously or due to certain external forces. It has numerous contexts ranging from language to traditions and social behaviour. Cultural assimilation can lead to different assumptions of culture over generations and it will lead to the almost complete eradication of the original culture.

Types of Cultural Assimilation

There are different types of cultural assimilation depending on the degree of adaptation and the various variables involved:

Complete assimilation: The complete abandonment of original culture by a person or group to adopt dominant culture. It is especially prominent among the third or fourth generation immigrants who cannot speak in their original language or cannot follow any of their previous rituals.
Partial assimilation: Keeping some aspects of the original culture when taking some elements from other external cultures. It is common among first or second generation immigrants, who will mix their local heritage with dominant society.
Forced assimilation: A dominant culture imposes its customs on another group, usually through law, policy or social pressure. It happened historically in the colonial environment, where the indigenous population was forced to adopt the language, clothing and customs of the colonists.
Voluntary assimilation: When individuals or groups accept another culture to integrate society voluntarily, often for economic, social or educational reasons. For example, many migrants learn local languages and customs, believe that it will help find their jobs and gain acceptance in the community.

Factors that influence cultural assimilation

Determine when and how quickly a person assimilates culturally:

Language acquisition: Using the dominant language speeds up assimilation. Language is a means of social inclusion and success in one’s career.
Education and employment: Access to schools and workplaces influenced by the host culture encourages cultural assimilation. Schools play a major role in shaping the minds of young people and in assimilation through curricula that further emphasize a dominant culture.
Social interaction: Regular interaction with members of the dominant society increases one’s chances of assimilation. Friends, lovers, and workplace associates contribute to this.
Generational change: Second and third generations are generally more assimilated than the first generation. Children of immigrants are fluent speakers of the dominant language and have incorporated many traditions into their daily lives.
Government policies: Immigration and integration policies change the pace of assimilation. Policies that promote multiculturalism slow the rate of assimilation, while those that encourage homogeneity accelerate the rate.
Media and technology: Exposure to cultural content—from both television and the Internet and even social media—has stimulated change in culture. Indeed, globalization has facilitated cultural change through digital influence.

Cultural assimilation and integration

Cultural assimilation is not the same as assimilation:

Cultural assimilation: Cultural assimilation occurs in such a way that the values, beliefs, and behaviours of the original culture are diminished to the point of loss of identity. Economic opportunity or social acceptance drives this change, but a certain pressure from the political scene can also push.
Cultural integration: Cultural assimilation involves participation in the dominant culture while maintaining parts of one’s original culture. Integration thus allows for a healthy coexistence of balance between cultural identities.

Assimilation identity is often the loss of cultural identity, while consolidation allows multiple cultural identity in a society. Although the previous one needs consistency, the latter encourages diversity.

Example: An immigrant who stops using their native language and fully adopts the culture of the dominant, who learns a new language but still practices their local traditions is an example of assimilation. A typical multicultural city would be one where people maintain their local customs while participating in the wider society. That would be cultural integration.

Cultural assimilation and acculturation

Cultural assimilation and acculturation are processes that describe cultural adaptation:

Cultural assimilation: The gradual adoption of a majority culture by a minority cultural group, sometimes causing it to lose its original identity. It is a one-way process in which a weaker culture and a dominant one move towards each other.
Assimilation: The exchange of characteristics between two cultures while maintaining distinct identities. In contrast to assimilation, acculturation allows for the mutual influence of both cultures rather than one absorbing the other.

Assimilation can be said to be one-dimensional and, more often than not, leads to the loss of culture, while acculturation is limited to the sharing of culture without complete adoption. Assimilation can be more long-lasting, while acculturation is often progressive or fluid.

Example: An immigrant adopts local customs and abandons their traditional dress and language: assimilation. An immigrant who adopts local cultural practices but continues their traditions: acculturation. A good example is Japanese Americans celebrating Thanksgiving while still adopting traditional Japanese festivals instead of assimilation, which indicates complete absorption, this practice indicates partial assimilation and incorporation.