Assimilation Debate: Sweden And America

Name: Course: Professor: Date: Assimilation debate In managing cultural diversity, assimilation emphasizes on promoting equality, assimilation has successfully integrated several cultures to enhance peaceful coexistence. In a society where equality is embraced, people from different cultural background live in harmony because they get to know each other and in the long run, this leads to a greater understanding within the community. This explains why several countries prefer using assimilation as an ideal approach to promoting diversity. Assimilation embraces different practices, value, and way of life, making assimilation a great model for promoting peace and harmony. There are several debates about the unforeseen effects of assimilation, the question of how assimilation has affected the lives of different cultural groups has been recently been the subject of debate in many countries. This research paper aims at answering the question "if assimilation fails, can it be detrimental to the country? The paper reviews the implication of assimilation focusing on Sweden and America as two countries that have been on crossroads in promoting both assimilation and multiculturalism. Assimilation is viewed as the best social model because it promotes peaceful co-existence. America is among the many countries known to have benefited from assimilation as it is commonly referred to as the melting point. America is built from an array of different people who come to America to seek a better life (Jacoby 3). The assimilation process in America is an ideal example of its success in promoting peaceful co-existence. In America, individuals from other cultures easily adopt the American culture, including learning their language and even adopting some of their cultural practices. Assimilation not only enriches a person's life, assimilation comes with several advantages benefiting the host country. When new people integrate into the society, they strengthen the culture and the economy (Lane 5). Although experts worry about the different approach used in the assimilation process whereby governments have enacted strict rules affecting immigrants, some countries have used better methods of assimilation, yielding positive outcomes. When dealing with diversity, many countries are at crossroads on which approach to use between the two approaches of multiculturalism and assimilation. In the process of integrating immigrants, some countries have embraced the principles of multiculturalism in the process of assimilation. However, certain unforeseen effects have resulted in negative outcomes. Irresponsible immigration policies have created a deep crack in countries like Sweden (Charlemagne 6). Riots in Sweden forced politicians to review how to integrate immigrants because racism resulted in a high rate of unemployment among immigrants population living in Sweden (Charlemagne 4). The riots in Sweden are among the many examples where immigrants have faced racisms in the past as a result of certain policies that have failed to recognize the cultural values of immigrants. The arson violence witnessed in Stockholm in poorer suburbs is a result of using the wrong approach of assimilation (Charlemagne 3). As immigrants are being absorbed into the larger community th...