Question

Does the Diversity of a Given Location Make it Easier to Assimilate?

In Chapter 5 of We Want Workers, Borjas discusses that New York is more successful than most places in assimilating immigrants because immigrants in New York have to intermingle with those from all over the world. When you go to New York, it's very noticeable just how cosmopolitan the city is; Chinatown and Little Italy come to mind almost immediately. New York is perhaps the city in the world most famous for immigrants and this cultural reality allows for immigrants to more easily adjust.

Compare that to Borjas's hometown of Miami where the Cuban community felt less pressure to assimilate and was more easily able to create an enclave of sorts. Most of the other immigrant groups in Miami are also from Latin America so it's easier to get by with just Spanish while in New York, there're immigrants from all over the world who speak many languages, therefore they use English to communicate with one another.

Could it be possible that if a variety of different immigrant groups are in the same geographic location, it's easier to assimilate as opposed to if only one dominant immigrant group is in that area?

Answer 1

Yes , it can be possible to assimilate a variety of groups in same geographic location that to if one dominant immigrant group is in that area because adjustment to a new place is only possible if there are many new people around you ready to adjust with you.

If there is one dominant group then any new group cannot easily join and adjust in that surrounding with other groups.

If in a country only chinese is spoken and it is dominant over the country then any group who doesn't have any knowledge about chinese will not be able to communicate to others.

And if in a country there are people of different different groups then they adopt themselves to this atmosphere quickly and try to communicate in a common language that is understandable to every other group .

So , it is definitely possible that if variety of different immigrant groups are in same geographic location , it is easy to assimilate.

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