According to Young and Mack: “Assimilation is the fusion or blending of two previously distinct groups into one”.
Characteristics of Assimilation:
Assimilation is not confined to single field only: The term assimilation is generally applied to explain the fusion of two distinct cultural group. Thus, it is an universal process. The process occurs in every walks of Human life ex: social, economic, political, art, music, agriculture, food and dress, habit etc. But this process is by notifications limited to any single field. In the religious field, assimilation may take place when an individual or a group of individuals or a particular religious background get converted into some other religious sect or group. As a process assimilation encompasses life in general.
Assimilation is a slow and gradual process: Assimilation cannot take place all of a sudden it takes. Fusion of personalities and groups usually takes time. It occurs only when there is relatively continuous and direct contact. The speed of the process of assimilation depends on the nature of contacts. If the contacts are primary then assimilation occurs naturally and rapid. On the contrary, if the contracts are Secondary assimilation takes place very slowly. The formation of **** Culture due to the assimilation of British, Scottish, ** and other **** Cultures also has taken several decades and centuries.
Assimilation is an unconscious process: In the process of assimilation the individual or group is usually unconscious of what is taking place. Mostly it occurs in an unconscious manner individual and groups discard cultural heritage and substitute it with the new one.
Assimilation is a two-way process: Assimilation involves the principle of give and take. It is normally preceded by another process called ‘acculturation’ Acculturation is a preliminary and necessary step towards assimilation. It takes place when one cultural group which is in contact with another borrows from it certain cultural elements and incorporate them into its own culture. Contact between two groups essentially affects into its own culture. Contact between two groups essentially affects both. Usually the culturally ‘weaker’ group borrows must of the trails from the culturally ‘stronger’ group.
Factors Favoring Assimilation:
Toleration: assimilation is possible only when individual and groups are tolerated towards cultural differences of others. Tolerance helps people to come together, to develop contacts and to participate in common social and cultural activities. When the majority group or the dominant group itself is secure.
Intimate social relationships: Assimilation is the final product of social contacts. The relative speed in which it is achieved depends on the nature of the contacts. It takes place naturally in primary groups such as family and friendship groups.
Amalgamation or intermarriage: It is an effective favoring assimilation process. It does not combine two opposite sexes but also two different families, castes, religious and regional groups together. A factor which helps complete assimilation is amalgamation which refers to the intermarriage of different groups without biological amalgamation complete assimilation is not possible.
Mere intermixture of the groups to a limited degree does not guarantee assimilation but intermarriage or amalgamation must be accepted in the mores and become a part of the institutional; structure, before assimilation exists.
Cultural similarity: If there are striking similarities between them an constituents of cultures of groups assimilation is quick to take place. In America, for example English – speaking protestants are assimilated with greater aped than non-Christians who do not speak English.
Education: Education is another conductive factor for assimilation. For immigrant people public education has played a prominent role in providing culture contact. Maurice R Davis has pointed out in his “world immigration” that in **** public schools has been playing the vital role in the process of Americanizing the **** of foreign born parents.
Equal Social and economic opportunity: Public education alone is not enough. People of all groups must have equal access to socio-economic opportunities. Only then, they can come closer and establish relations among themselves with mutual trust. As it has been observed in the case of America, full assimilation is possible only when full participation in social, cultural and economic life is allowed.
Assimilation is a two way process when it happens between two culture groups. Each group contributing varying proportions of the eventual blend.
Forms of assimilation The process of assimilation takes place mainly at three levels:
- Individual level
- Group level
- Culture level.
Individual level: A social individual when enters or joins a new patterns of different cultural patterns, he or she has to adopt new patterns of values, habits, customs and beliefs of the other group in order to be fully accepted by new group. In course of time, he or she becomes assimilated into the second group. An Indian woman after marriage starts with dissimilar backgrounds and develops a surprising unity of interests and identifies herself with the family of her husband. The tendency is to conform to other’* behaviors pattern and differences in the time may largely disappear.
Group level: When two groups with dissimilar patterns of behavior come in close contact, – they inevitably affect each other. In this process, it is generally seen that the weaker group would do more of the borrowing from and would give very little to a stronger group. For instance, when we came in contact with Britishers, being a weaker group, we have adopted many cultural elements of Britishers but they have adopted many cultural elements from Indian society. The adoption of elements of dominant cultural paves the way for total absorption, if not checked, of the new culture group with the dominant culture.
Cultural level: When two cultures merge to produce a third culture which, while somewhat distinct, has features of both merging cultures. In western countries to some extent, rural and urban cultures which were radically different are, with rapidly increasing communication, merging as differences continue to disappear although they still exist.
